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THE 


ROMAN     EXILE 


Br 


GUGLIELMO    GAJANI, 

PKOFESSOR  OF  CIVIL  AND  CANON  LAW,  AND  REPRESENTATIVE 

OP  THE   PEOPLE  IN   THE  ROMAN   CONSTITUENT 

ASSEMBLY   IN  THE   YEAR   1849. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED  BY  JOHN   P.   JEWETT  AND  COMPANY 

CLEVELAND,  OHIO  : 

JEWETT,  PROCTOR,  AND   WORTHINGTON. 

NEW   YORK  :    SHELDON,    BLAKEMAN,    AND   COMPANY. 

1856. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856, 

BY  JOHN  P.  JEWETT  &   CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  OflBce  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


AMERICAN     STEREOTYPE    COMPANY, 
28  Phcenix  Building,  Boston. 


PRINTED   BY   D.   8.    FORD   AND   CO. 


Peop.  benjamin   SILLIMAN,  Sen., 

OP  TALE  COLLEGE,  NEW  HAYEN. 

My  Dear  Sir: 

I  beg  you  will  permit  me  to  inscribe  to  you  this  volume,  which 
through  your  encouragement  I  am  to  submit  to  the  American  people. 
Do  not  believe,  however,  that  I  am  induced  to  ask  for  such  a  feVor  only 
by  the  selfish  motive  of  associating  in  some  manner  my  unknown  name 
with  one  so  highly  appreciated  throughout  the  scientific  world ;  my  desire 
is  to  give  you  a  public  pledge  of  my  high  esteem  for  your  noble  and 
benevolent  character  as  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian.  I  have  seen  in 
your  house  a  good  specimen  of  the  virtuous  peace  and  sweet  comforts  of 
an  American  home ;  and  I  have  been  led  to  think  that  such  were  the 
characters,  and  such  were  the  homes,  of  those  high-minded  and  warm- 
hearted American  revolutionists  of  whom  I  have  ever  been  a  great 
admirer,  and  with  whom  you  were  closely  connected  by  birth,  by  educa- 
tion, and  by  the  recollections  of  your  early  youth. 
I  remain,  with  high  respect. 

Your  obliged  friend, 

GUGLIELMO  GAJANI. 
Boston,  March,  1856. 


282029 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

I.  The  Ancient  Milestone  of  Savignano, 

II.  Confession,        .... 

III.  The  Confessional,     . 

rV.  The  Forbidden  Fruit, 

V.  Mysteries  and  Death, 

VI.  The  Pretext  a  and  my  Home,     . 

VII.  My  First  Experiences  in  the  World, 

VIII.  My  Eldest  Sister,    . 

IX.  My  Journey  to  Ravenna, 

X.  My  First  Difficulties  in  Rayenna, 

XI.  The  Public  Schools, 

XII.  My  Country-Seat  at  Rayenna, 

XIII.  My  Return  to  Rome, 

'     XIV.  My  Vacation  in  Rome, 

XV.  A  Catacomb  near  Veii,     . 

XVI.  Young  Italy,     .... 

XVII.  The  Prophet  of  the  Idea, 

XVIII.  Good  Names  and  Bad  Things, 

XIX.  A  Mysterious  Disappearance, 

XX.  The  University  of  Bologna,     .  . 

XXI.  The  Student  at  the  University, 

XXII.  A  Summer  Vacation, 

XXIII.  The  "  Pontifex  Maximus  "  of  Rome, 

XXIV.  The  "  Campo  Santo  "  of  Bologna, 
XXV.  A  First  Love,  .... 

XXVI.  A  Bad  Journey,       .... 

XXVII.  The  Young  Lawyer, 

XXVIII.  An  Unjust  Act  of  Justice, 
1* 


PAGB 

7 

12 

18 

24 

30 

37 

45 

54 

63 

69 

77 

83 

91 

102 

109 

117 

126 

132 

141 

149 

158 

166 

176 

187 

194 

203 

211 

218 


VI  CONTENTS. 

XXIX.   Young  Italy  Abroad,       .....  226 

XXX.   The  Martyrs, 236 

XXXI.   The  Funeral  Rites,           .         .         .         .         .  243 

XXXII.   A  Dark  Cloud, 253 

XXXIII.  The  Last  Farewell, 262 

XXXIV.  The  Prisoner, 267 

XXXV.   The  Trial,         ...:...  275 

XXXVI.   Death  of  the  Pope  Gregory  XVI.,          .         .  283 

XXXVII.   Judgment  on  the  Grave,          ....  293 

XXXVIII.   The  Conclave, 304 

XXXIX.   A  Pope  Elected  by  Mistake,           .         .        .  313 

XL.   The  Papal  Amnesty, 323 

XLI.   The  Last  of  the  Popes  of  Rome,     .         .        .  333 

XLII.   The  Italian  Movement  and  the  Pope,     .         .  343 

XLIII.   The  Conspiracy  of  the  Sanfedisti,           .         .  351 

XLIV.   The  "Sacra  RoMANA  Rota,"    .         .         .        .362 

XLV.   Progress  of  the  Italian  Movement,         .         .  371 

XLVE.   The  War  against  Austria,       .         .        .         .  381 

XLVn.   The  Pope  in  Trouble, 395 

XLVIII.   A  Mysterious  Death, 403 

XLIX.  The  Flight  of  Pius  the  Ninth  from  Rome,      .  413 

L.   The  Deposition  of  the  Pope,  ....  421 

LI.   The  Roman  Republic, 428 

LII.   The  Siege  of  Rome,           .         .         .         .         .  434 

LIII.   The  Exile, 442 


THE 


ROMAN    EXILE 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    ANCIENT   MILESTONE    OF    SAVIGNANO. 

On  a  dark  and  gloomy  night  of  April,  1831,  my 
father  was  riding  on  the  back  of  a  powerful  horse, 
holding  me  on  his  left  arm.  Our  way  was  through 
remote  by-paths.  I  was  perfectly  aware  that  we  were 
flying  from  some  great  danger,  of  which,  however,  I 
had  not  a  clear  idea.  What  I  knew  was  that  we  had 
been  for  some  days  in  Rimini,  and  there,  the  preceding 
day,  a  tremendous  battle  had  taken  place  between  an 
Austrian  army  and  the  citizens  with  whom  my  father 
had  taken  part.  My  mind  was  still  deeply  impressed 
with  the  horrors  which  I  had  witnessed  when  the 
Austrians  stormed  a  gate  of  the  city  next  to  the  house 
in  which  I  was  sheltered. 

•  I  was  then  scarcely  nine  years  old,  with  a  short, 
thin,  and  weak  body ;  but  my  rather  precocious  intel- 
lect had  been  carefully  cultivated,  especially  by  means 
^of  historical  studies,  so  that  I  was  able  to  appreciate 
the  importance  and  nobleness  of  a  struggle  for  the 
freedom  of  my  native  country,  —  nay,  I  felt  the  great- 
est excitement  and  enthusiasm  when  thinking  of  it. 

<7) 


8  THE  ko'MAN' EXILE. 

We  proceeded  silently,  both  occupied  by  painful 
thoughts,  till  we  arrived  at  a  point  where  we  had  to 
cross  the  highway.  It  was  at  the  entrance  of  a  pretty 
little  town  called  Savignano,  ten  miles  north  of  Rimini. 
We  crossed  the  road  quickly,  and  were  about  to  enter 
the  open  field  again,  when  my  father,  stopping  the 
horse  suddenly,  let  me  down  gently,  close  by  an  ancient 
marble  milestone ;  and  then  alighted  from  the  horse 
himself,  in  order,  as  I  thought,  to  take  some  repose. 

It  was  then  almost  the  break  of  day,  and  the  clouds 
having  been  in  part  dissipated  by  a  fresh  easterly 
wind,  the  scene,  covered  with  rosy  light,  was  a  glorious 
vision.  The  painful  thoughts  and  fearful  impressions 
of  that  gloomy  night  vanished  from  my  mind,  giving 
place  to  my  natural  childish  cheerfulness  as  I  heard 
the  song  of  the  birds  awaking  in  the  trees  ;  and  my 
mind  anticipated  the  glorious  spectacle  of  sunrise,  of 
which  I  was  exceedingly  fond.  My  attention,  however, 
was  soon  attracted  by  the  ancient  milestone  which 
stood  before  me,  and  which  had  for  me  the  interest  of 
an  object  connected  with  the  historical  studies  I  had 
so  earnestly  pursued. 

"  It  bears,"  said  I,  "  the  number  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  (CCXXXY)  in  Roman  numerals ;  and  the 
two  initial  letters,  A  and  U  {Ab  Urhe  —  from  the  city), 
meaning,  of  course,  to  indicate  the  distance  from  the 
central  milestone  of  the  Capitol  to  this  ^Municipium/ 
formerly  called '  Sapinianum.^ "  I  expected,  of  course, 
that  the  skill  in  antiquities  I  thus  displayed  would 
attract  a  smile  of  approbation  from  my  father,  who 
generally  took  the  greatest  pleasure  in  promoting  my 
knowledge  on  such  subjects ;  but,  raising  my  eyes  to 
his  face,  I  perceived  upon  it  such  an  expression  of 
dejection  and  grief  that  I  was  quite  terrified. 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  \) 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  my  father  ?  "  said  I ; 
"  what  painful  memory  does  this  stone  recall  to  your 
mind,  that  you  look  so  sad  ?  " 

"  That  stone,"  answered  he,  with  a  deep  sigh,  "  was 
put  there  by  our  forefathers  to  show  to  travellers  the 
distance  from  Rome ;  but,  if  we  could  interrogate  it 
through  the  past  ages,  it  would  tell  us  a  long  history 
of  crimes  and  miseries  which  it  has  been  called  to 
witness.  I  saw  it  once  covered  with  innocent  —  inno- 
cent blood !  and  0  what  blood !  It  is  a  dreadful  his- 
tory, but  you  ought  to  know  it ;  compose  yourself, 
and  listen  to  me  with  fortitude." 

"  Speak,  father ;  no  grief  will  overwhelm  me,"  said 
I,  and  he  continued : 

"  Thirty-two  years  ago,  during  the  year  1799,  my 
father,  my  poor  father,  a  noble-hearted  patriot,  in  the 
act  of  escaping  from  the  bloody  persecution  of  the 
Austrian  invaders,  here,  on  this  very  spot,  was  recog- 
nized by  a  cowardly  monk  standing  in  the  door  of 
that  church,  opposite,  and  was  pointed  out  by  him  to 
the  brutal  soldiers.  They  fired  at  the  fugitive.  Many 
shots  struck  him,  and  he  staggered  on  to  fall  down 
close  by  this  stone,  which  he  embraced,  turning  his 
face  towards  the  murderers  as  if  to  make  them 
ashamed ;  and  in  that  position  he  was  almost  cut  to 
pieces  by  a  rush  made  on  him  with  bayonets  !  I  was 
there  !    I  saw " 

"  Let  me  swear,"  interrupted  I,  "  let  me  swear  upon 
this  stone  that  I  will  revenge  that  blood  and  hate  the 
Austrians  forever." 

"  Stop,  my  son,"  my  father  hastened  to  say,  extending 
his  hand  towards  me  as  he  would  have  done  to  prevent 
me  from  falling  from  a  precipice ;  and  then  he  con- 
tinued: "You  recollect  perhaps  at  this  moment  the 


10  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

oath  of  vengeance  whicli  Hannibal  took  in  Spain  before 
his  father,  when  no  older  than  you  are ;  but  they  were 
pagans,  and  we  are  followers  of  Christ,  who  taught 
the  love  of  God  and  of  mankind.  Let  us  defend  our 
native  country;  let  us  stand  for  our  natural  rights 
without " 

At  this  a  sudden,  clear  sound  of  a  near  approaching 
trumpet  interrupted  my  father,  who  shuddered,  ex- 
claiming, "  Here  come  the  Austrian  cavalry !  "  and, 
without  losing  a  moment,  he  mounted  his  horse,  and, 
taking  me  again  into  his  arms,  rode  rapidly  through 
the  open  field  before  the  approaching  Austrian  soldiers 
could  see  us. 

After  some  moments,  our  flight  having  begun  to  be 
less  rapid,  my  father  continued  his  history,  and  said : 
"I  was  then  scarcely  twelve  years  old,  and  the  only 
child.  My  mother,  by  a  deed  of  desperate  courage, 
had  saved  my  father  from  being  taken  by  the  Austrian 
soldiers  invading  their  house.  She  stood  with  a  spear 
at  the  door  of  her  room  till  her  husband  could  escape 
by  the  window.  Alas!  it  was  in  vain.  He  was  dis- 
covered and  killed  at  a  short  distance,  as  I  have  just 
told  you.  For  this  attempt  she  was  taken  to  prison  to 
be  tried  by  a  court-martial.  Through  the  exertions, 
however,  of  many  of  our  relatives  and  friends,  she 
was  sent  to  Ravenna,  our  native  place,  and  soon  after 
she  was  released  and  restored  to  me.  But  two  months 
had  scarcely  elapsed  when  she  died  broken-hearted. 

"  Alone  in  the  world,"  continued  my  father,  "  during 
those  stormy  years  which  followed  the  French  revo- 
lution, my  education  was  neglected,  and  the  inherit- 
ance of  my  father  was,  little  by  little,  feloniously  taken 
from  me.  Hatred  to  Austria  made  me  a  soldier  of 
Napoleon  the  Great :  the  same  hatred  has  thrown  me 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  11 

into  all  the  conspiracies  wliicli  have  been  formed  for 
the  freedom  and  independence  of  Italy.  But,  alas! 
all  in  vain.  Perhaps  the  days  of  trial  are  not  yet  over 
for  us.  Never  mind !  Let  us  do  our  duty  bravely 
and  labor  constantly.  God  will  at  some  time  help  us. 
The  noble  blood  which  covered  that  ancient  milestone 
was  not  the  first  which  our  family  had  shed  for  Italy^ 
and  probably  will  not  be  the  last :  keep  it  in  mind." 

After  a  long  course  we  stopped  at  a  villa,  where  my 
father  entrusted  me  to  an  old  peasant ;  and  then,  taking 
a  fresh  horse,  resumed  his  flight.  In  a  short  time  I 
was  again  in  Eome,  in  the  arms  of  my  mother ;  and 
not  long  afterwards  my  father,  not  being  seriously 
compromised,  was  allowed  to  come  home.  Our  life 
passed  on  quite  smoothly,  but  the  remembrance  of  the 
old  milestone  of  Savignano  came  often  to  trouble  and 
excite  my  mind :  it  has  since  had  a  great  influence  on 
my  life. 


CHAPTER   II. 

CONFESSION. 

Near  a  small  round  table  in  our  drawing-room  my 
mother  was  mending  some  clothing,  while  I  read  a 
book,  holding  it  open  upon  her  lap.  A  servant  came 
in  and  announced  the  visit  of  the  Rev.  Father  Curate. 
At  this,  I  observed  something  like  trouble  passing 
over  the  face  of  my  mother,  who,  however,  rose  from 
her  arm-chair  to  meet  the  new  comer  politely.  This 
personage,  till  now  unknown  to  me,  was  but  little 
fitted  to  awaken  my  sympathy,  although  I  was  the 
main  object  of  his  visit. 

The  father  curate  was  a  friar  of  immense  corporeal 
extension,  clad  in  a  dark  and  dirty  robe  ;  a  large  red 
nose,  planted  between  two  puffy  cheeks  of  the  same 
color,  stood  like  a  sign  of  his  love  for  hard  drinking 
and  an  idle  life.  There  was  a  mingling  of  ignorance 
and  cunning  in  the  expression  of  his  face,  and  his 
countenance  and  manners  revealed  immediately  a  man 
of  vulgar  and  debased  mind. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Rev.  Father  Curate  ? "  said  my 
mother,  bidding  me  at  the  same  time,  by  expressive 
glances  and  gestures,  to  kiss  his  hand. 

"  Very  well.  And  how  old  is  that  boy  ? "  said 
the  curate,  pointing  at  me,  who,  overwhelmed  by  a 

(12) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  13 

vague  sense  of  repulsion,  had  shrunk  almost  behind 
my  mother. 

"  Sit  down,  Rev.  Father  Curate,"  said  she ;  and,  as 
he  sat  down,  glancing  at  the  book  I  had  placed  on  the 
table,  she  continued  :  "  My  son  is  almost  ten  years  old ; 
but  he  has  a  sickly  body,  and  requires  to  be  under  my 
particular  care  at  home." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  curate,  in  a  nasal,  angry  tone, 
"  and  why  do  you  allow  him  to  read  bad  books  ?  " 

My  mother,  hardly  restraining  a  smile,  observed  she 
never  suspected  "  The  Jerusalem  DeKvered,"  by  Tor- 
quato  Tasso,  to  be  a  bad  book. 

^'  Very  bad,"  insisted  the  curate,  even  more  angrily, 
"  because  it  speaks  of  love  ;  and  these  sickly  creatures 
are  precocious  in  evil.  And  now  I  have  just  come 
precisely  on  purpose  to  remind  you  that  he  has  not 
yet  been  to  confess.  I  have  known  many  of  those 
so  called  intelligent  boys,  carefully  instructed,  indeed, 
but  who  did  not  frequent  the  sacraments,  and  they 
grew  up  good  for  nothing  but  the  jailer  or  the  execu- 
tioner  " 

"Do  not  utter  such  a  bad  augury,"  interrupted  my 
mother,  evidently  shocked  and  disgusted.  "  My  son 
is  a  good  child,  who  loves  God  and  his  neighbors,  and 
offers  his  prayers  in  the  most  edifying  manner." 

"Never  mind,"  exclaimed  the  curate;  "no  one  is 
good  or  acceptable  to  God  if  he  does  not  go  often  to 
confession  and  communion ;  and  besides,  there  is  the 
law,  and  we  shall  enforce  the  law." 

These  words,  no  less  than  the  manner  in  which  they 
were  uttered,  frightened  my  mother,  who,  in  a  humble 
tone  of  voice,  said  she  had  never  thought  of  disre- 
garding the  laws ;  and,  as  he  (the  curate)  thought  I  was 
old  enough  for  it,  she  would  send  me  to  confess  with- 
2 


14  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

out  delay.  It  was  arranged  that  I  should  go  the  next 
morning;  and  the  curate  departed,  leaving  me  in  a 
state  of  open  rebellion,  for  the  first  time,  against  my 
good  mother.  In  fact,  besides  having  twice  resisted 
her  directions  for  kissing  the  filthy  hand  of  the  friar, 
I  declared,  immediately  after  he  had  departed,  that  I 
was  firmly  determined  never  to  go  to  confession.  My 
mother  endeavored  in  every  way  to  shake  my  deter- 
mination; but  she  found  me  immovable,  no  less  by 
threats  than  by  endearments.  She  went  so  far  as  to 
declare  to  me  that  I  should  lose  her  love  forever  by 
my  obstinacy.  I  did  not  yield  even  to  that  intimation, 
so  dreadful  for  me  ;  but  at  evening,  as  I  went  to  kiss 
my  mother^s  hand,  asking  for  her  blessing  (as  every 
Italian  child  does  before  going  to  bed),  I  could  not 
restrain  myself  longer,  and  I  burst  into  tears.  My 
mother  then  embraced  me,  weeping  no  less  than  I. 

"  Mother,"  said  I,  "  you  have  been  always  so  good, 
so  partial  to  me ;  and  why  will  you  now  join  yourself 
to  that  wicked  friar  against  me  ?  " 

"  It  is  for  thy  sake,"  replied  she,  weeping  stiU  more ; 
"  because,  if  thou  dost  not  go  to  confess,  they  will  put 
thee  into  the  *  Holy  Inquisition,'  and  torment  thee  in 
every  way." 

I  answered  nothing,  and  I  went  to  my  bedroom  in 
a  state  of  dreadful  agitation.  My  constancy  had  been 
almost  shaken ;  and  yet  I  felt  it  impossible  for  me  to 
submit  to  the  repugnant  duty  of  going  to  confess. 
The  repulsive  quahties  of  my  future  confessor  had, 
of  course,  a  share  in  the  horror  which  I  felt  against 
confession ;  but  it  was  chiefly  produced  by  a  natural 
sense  of  repugnance  not  softened  by  any  previous 
preparation. 

Every   one   who   has  lived   intimately  among  the 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  15 

papists,  knows  well  how  much  care  they  are  obliged 
to  take  in  order  to  induce  children  to  go  to  confess, 
and  keep  up  the  habit  of  it  against  the  natural  repug- 
nance experienced  by  those  poor  creatures.  They 
begin  to  prepare  the  minds  of  children  for  it  from 
the  earliest  age,  representing  confession  in  the  best 
colors,  and  promising  gifts  and  pleasures  for  that 
occasion ;  besides,  the  curate  shows  himself  very  kind 
to  children,  and  occasionally  will  give  them  Madonnas 
or  pictures  of  saints  for  their  amusement.  But,  as 
for  me,  I  was  then  rather  too  old  to  be  managed  in 
this  way.  I  had  not  known  the  curate  till  this  un- 
pleasant interview  with  him,  and  my  mother  had  never 
spoken  to  me  of  confession :  nay,  even  now  she  insisted 
upon  the  necessity  of  complying  with  the  request  of 
the  father  curate  in  order  to  avoid  punishment,  but 
did  not  say  it  was  a  duty  and  a  good  thing  to  go  to 
confession ;  so  that  it  appeared  to  me  like  an  imposition 
or  abuse  of  privilege  on  the  part  of  that  intolerable 
friar. 

Through  these  several  causes,  I  felt  so  much  excited 
that  the  fear  of  the  "  Holy  Inquisition  "  had  no  power 
over  my  mind :  nay,  to  be  taken  to  that  dreadful  tri- 
bunal, and  killed  there,  had  for  me  almost  the  charms 
of  a  noble  sacrifice  and  of  a  glorious  death.  But  my 
mother  —  what  would  become  of  her,  in  such  a  case  ? 
Besides,  they  would  not  probably  kill  me  immediately ; 
they  would  shut  me  up  in  a  dark  dungeon.  How  could 
I  live  there  without  my  mother  ? 

It  was  in  such  a  state  of  agitation  that  I  knelt  down 
to  say  my  usual  evening  prayers,  with  the  fervor  and 
earnestness  of  one  who  is  in  great  want  of  help ;  and, 
raising  gradually  and  almost  unconsciously  my  voice, 


16  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

I  exclaimed  repeatedly,  "  0  God,  deliver  me  from  the 
hands  of  that  wicked  friar  who  troubles  my  heart." 

At  this,  the  door  of  my  room  opened  gently,  and 
the  venerable  figure  of  an  old  man  made  his  appear- 
ance, looking  upon  me  with  the  deepest  interest  and 
emotion.  Had  not  the  noble  features  of  that  vener- 
able head  been  familiar  to  me,  I  should  probably  have 
supposed  him  to  be  an  angel  of  God  coming  to  help 
me.  He  was  the  father  of  my  mother,  a  man  then 
eighty-two  years  old,  and  almost  constantly  confined 
by  sickness  to  his  room,  which  was  next  to  that  in 
which  I  was.  Having  heard  my  lamentations,  he  came 
to  see  what  was  the  matter  with  me.  His  tall  and 
commanding  person,  clad  then  in  a  large  white  rohe- 
derchamhre^  his  gray  hair  and  white  beard  bordering  a 
noble  and  benevolent  face,  offered  such  a  strange  con- 
trast with  the  ugly  figure  of  the  curate,  which  was 
then  before  my  mind,  that  I  gazed  at  him  almost 
enraptured. 

"  Who  troubles  thee,  my  child  ? "  said  he,  having 
caught  only  the  last  words  I  uttered. 

I  threw  myself  into  his  arms  and  told  him  my  sad 
story,  of  course  in  passionate  language,  and  with 
sighs,  tears,  and  exclamations,  declaring  I  would  never 
confess  to  that  friar  nor  to  any  other. 

"  Thou  art  right,  my  child,"  calmly  observed  the  ven- 
erable old  man.  "  I  never  confessed  my  sins  but  to 
my  God,  and  upon  him  only  I  rely  for  their  remission 
and  pardon.     Do  so  and  thou  art  right." 

At  this  I  was  of  course  greatly  encouraged,  and, 
interrupting  him,  I  said,  "You  must  say  so  to  my 
mother,  and  then  she  will  urge  me  no  longer." 

"  Nay,"  answered  he,  "  you  must  comply  with  her 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  17 

wise  directions  by  going  to-morrow  morning  to  the 
confessional." 

This  reply  appeared  to  me  a  contradiction  to  his 
former  proposition,  and  made  me  look  astonished  and 
disappointed ;  but  he,  smiling  at  this,  added,  "  I  am 
eighty-two  years  old,  and,  from  my  boyhood,  I  have 
been  to  confess  as  often  as  they  requested  me  to  do 
so :  but  I  never  made  a  real  confession." 

"  How  did  you  manage  that  ?  "  inquired  I,  anxiously. 

"  In  the  simplest  manner,"  answered  my  grandfather. 
"I  presented  myself  at  the  confessional,  declaring 
that  I  went  there  only  to  avoid  unjust  persecution  and 
punishment;  and  I  had  not  the  least  disposition  to 
confess  my  sins  to  a  man  who  was  a  sinner  like  myself. 
They  pretend  to  be  bound  by  inviolable  secrecy,  and 
so  could  not  cause  me  to  be  tried  before  their  tribu- 
nals. I  have  never  disclosed  this  to  any  one  before. 
My  love  for  thee,  and  the  deep  interest  I  felt  at  seeing 
thee  so  much  troubled,  have  overcome  my  prudence. 
But  thou  art  intelligent  enough  to  understand  that  the 
least  revelation  would  ruin  me,  and  I  rely  upon  thy 
discretion." 

Next  morning,  my  mother  found  me  ready  to  go  to 
the  church  and  confess.     She  was  greatly  amazed  that 
I  made  no  further  opposition,  but  was  far  from  sus- 
pecting that  I  had  a  fixed  plan  in  my  mind. 
2* 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    CONFESSIONAL. 

Attended  by  an  old  servant,  I  went  to  the  church 
of  our  parish  where  I  had  to  confess.  We  lived  in 
the  "  Piazza  Campo  di  Fieri/'  and  thus  our  parish  was 
that  of  "  S.  Carlo  a  Catinari ; "  for  the  city  is  divided 
into  several  parishes,  and  every  individual,  from  his 
seventh  year  to  his  death,  must  be  a  member  of  the 
church  of  that  parish  in  whose  district  he  lives,  and 
commune  there  at  least  once  a  year.  The  curate  and 
his  chaplains  have  a  rich  income  from  the  properties 
belonging  to  the  church,  which  is  open  and  free  at  any 
time,  both  to  the  members  of  the  congregation  and  to 
any  one  else  except  those  formally  excommunicated. 

The  curate,  however,  taxes  his  flock  heavily,  ac- 
cording to  their  riches ;  especially  on  the  occasion  of 
marriages,  births,  and  deaths,  as  he  has  the  exclusive 
right  of  performing  the  marriage  ceremony,  baptizing 
children,  and  attending  the  funerals  of  all  those  who 
have  resided  within  the  boundaries  assigned  to  his 
parish.  Besides,  they  have  a  large  amount  of  money 
from  the  alms  daily  collected  in  the  church  for  the 
liberation  of  souls  from  purgatory ;  and  more  especially 
from  the  masses  and  "  solemn  masses,"  celebrated  for 
the  deliverance  of  particular  souls,  at  the  request  of 
pious   relatives  or  according  to  directions  in  wills. 

(18> 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  19 

The  curate  is  at  the  same  time  the  spiritual  director 
of  his  flock,  the  administrator  and  distributor  of  any 
benevolent  succor  to  those  who  are  in  want,  and  the 
most  intimate  and  well-informed  reporter  for  the 
service  of  the  police ;  so  that  his  power  is  great  and 
his  influence  dreadful. 

On  arriving  at  the  church,  I  was  taken  into  the 
vestry  by  the  sexton,  in  order  to  have  a  preparatory 
interview  with  my  future  confessor.  Fortunately  the 
father  curate  was  not  there ;  nay,  I  was  informed  that 
he  was  confined  to  his  room,  in  consequence,  they  said, 
of  not  being  well,  —  from  having  drank  too  hard  the 
night  before,  I  suspected.  They  presented  me  to  the 
father  vice-curate.  He  was  quite  another  man :  polite 
in  his  manners,  and  clean  in  his  dress,  he  looked  more 
like  a  Jesuit  than  a  common  friar.  His  paleness, 
leanness,  and  an  obstinate  cough,  showed  that  he  was 
far  advanced  in  consumption ;  but  such  were  his  looks 
that  many  would  have  been  in  doubt  as  to  the  cause 
of  it. 

The  vice-curate  addressed  me  kindly,  and  made  a 
present  to  me,  —  in  itself  indeed  of  no  great  value, — 
namely,  a  small  brass  medal,  such  as  are  sold  at  three 
cents  a  dozen ;  but  he  told  me  that  it  had  been  blessed 
by  the  Pope,  and  consequently  had  the  virtue  of  pre- 
serving me  from  temporal  no  less  than  spiritual 
dangers,  provided  I  should  wear  it  constantly  sus- 
pended from  my  neck,  and  cherish  a  deep  faith. 
After  this  I  was  directed  to  go  into  one  of  the  lateral 
naves  of  the  church,  where  I  found  many  children 
waiting  for  the  same  object.  The  wooden  confes- 
sional was  placed  against  the  right-hand  wall,  and  had 
on  both  sides  small  wooden  benches,  —  those  on  the 


20  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

left  side  occupied  by  the  boys,  and  the  others  by  the 
young  girls. 

I  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  the  vice- 
curate  made  his  appearance,  and  placed  himself  in  the 
confessional.  He  shut  the  small  door,  and  then,  open- 
ing a  little  window  on  the  right  side,  he  began  to 
confess  a  young  girl;  having  finished  with  her,  he 
shut  that  window,  and  opened  the  other  on  the  oppo- 
site side,  to  confess  a  boy ;  and  so  he  continued  alter- 
nating. When  my  turn  came,  I  went  to  kneel  before 
the  Httle  window.  The  vice-curate,  on  opening  it 
inside,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  with  his  right  hand 
upon  the  iron  grate,  which  was  between  his  face  and 
my  own.  He  could  see  me,  of  course,  and  recognize 
me  easily  through  the  holes  of  the  grate ;  but,  pre- 
tending he  did  not,  he  made  the  usual  inquiry,  — 

"  How  long  is  it  since  you  have  been  to  confess  ?  " 

"  I  never  confessed,"  said  I ;  "  I  am  now  sent  here 
for  the  first  time." 

"  Then  recite  the  ^  confiteor,' "  replied  the  confessor. 
And  I  did  it  weU,  because  I  had  easily  learned  it  by 
heart  that  morning. 

The  "  confiteor  "  is  a  general  formula  of  confession 
in  Latin,  which  must  precede  the  particular  narration 
and  explanation  of  sins.  Here  it  is :  "  Confiteor  Deo 
omnipotenti,  Beatse  Marise  semper  virgini,  Beato  Mi- 
chaele  Archangelo,  Beato  Johanne  Babptista,  Sanctis 
Apostolis  Petro  et  Paulo,  omnibus  Sanctis  et  tibi  Pater, 
quia  peccavi  nimis  cogitatione,  verbo  et  opere :  mea 
culpa,  mea  culpa,  mea  maxima  culpa,"  etc. 

'^  Now  you  must  tell  me,"  said  the  confessor,  "  all 
the  sins  you  have  committed  in  thought,  in  word,  and 
in  deed,  mentioning  all  the  circumstances." 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  21 

I  answered  him  I  was  not  prepared  nor  disposed  at 
all  to  comply  with  his  wishes ;  but  he  overwhelmed 
me  by  so  many  reproofs  and  threats,  that,  in  order  to 
get  out  of  the  scrape,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  tell  him 
some  faults  of  no  consequence. 

"I  confess,"  said  I,  "that  sometimes  I  have  got 
angry." 

"  You  must  explain,"  observed  the  confessor,  "  how 
many  times  it  has  happened,  and  against  what  kind  of 
persons  you  felt  angry." 

"  Once,"  said  I,  "  I  was  angry  at  a  cat,  because  it 
had  killed  and  devoured  my  favorite  canary-bird; 
another  time  I  got  angry  at  a  servant,  because  he  had 
broken  my  inkstand  and  stained  with  ink  my  illus- 
trated story-book,  —  I  told  him  angrily  that  he  was  a 
great  ass." 

I  added  to  these  some  other  stories,  and  then  I  told 
the  confessor  that  I  was  over.  He  looked  at  me  dis- 
trustfully, and  then  began  his  interrogations,  saying 
first,  "  Do  you  think  often  upon  our  holy  religion? " 

"  I  say  my  prayers  in  the  morning  and  evening,  and 
I  listen  to  my  mother  when  she  teaches  me." 

"  You  must  early  take  up  the  habit,"  said  the  con- 
fessor, "  of  believing  the  truth  of  our  only  true 
religion,  and  never  yield  to  the  temptation  of  doubt- 
ing it.  The  devil  himself  suggests  to  our  minds  such 
dangerous  thoughts,  and  our  natural  pride  makes  us 
inclined  to  receive  them.  But  this  is  that  sin  against 
the  ^Holy  Ghost'  of  which  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
has  said  that  it  shall  not  be  pardoned.  So  that  when 
such  thoughts  come  to  your  mind,  you  must  endeavor 
in  every  way  to  dispel  them  as  the  worst  temptation 
of  the  devil." 


22  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

I  promised  I  would  do  so ;  and  then  the  confessor 
made  many  inquiries  about  my  manner  of  living  at 
home,  my  father,  my  mother,  and  even  my  neighbors. 
I  avoided  direct  replies,  and  finally  told  him  that  my 
mother  had  taught  me  it  was  too  bad  for  a  child  to 
disclose  home  matters  and  the  affairs  of  our  neigh- 
bors. The  confessor  replied  that  he  asked  such  ques- 
tions for  my  good,  and  there  was  no  danger  of  any 
disclosure,  as  he  was  bound  by  inviolable  secrecy; 
but  he  did  not  insist  upon  it,  and  began  to  ask  me 
about  this  or  that  sin,  enumerating  some  of  which  I 
had  never  heard. 

When  waiting  for  my  turn  to  confess,  I  had  observed 
that  almost  all  the  young  girls  left  the  confessional 
blushing  and  confused,  and  then  took  their  seats, 
hiding  their  faces  for  a  little  while.  Now  I  guessed 
the  reason,  from  the  nature  of  some  of  the  demands 
cynically  directed  to  me.  Auricular  confession  begins 
with  scandalizing  the  innocent  minds  of  children,  and 
then  by  degrees  destroys  their  sense  of  modesty ;  and 
finally  creates  the  idea  that  sins  are  remitted  by.  a 
detailed  narration,  accompanied  by  a  sense  of  con- 
trition felt  at  the  moment.  I  know  not  of  a  more 
immoral  and  corrupting  practice,  and  I  firmly  believe 
that  it  is  a  duty  of  every  free  and  enlightened  gov- 
ernment to  forbid  it  for  the  sake  of  public  moral- 
ity. 

At  length  my  confessor  told  me  to  recite  the  for- 
mula of  repentance,  which  I  did  immediately,  having 
learned  it  by  heart  from  the  little  book  of  instructions 
given  to  me.  Then  he  prescribed  to  me  the  penance 
to  be  performed  for  my  sins,  which  consisted  in  re- 
citing a  rosary,  kneeling  before  the  image  of  the  "  holy 
virgin,"  called  "  del  pianto  "  (weeping),  which  was 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  23 

worshipped  in  that  church.  Finally  the  confessor, 
solemnly  raising  his  hand,  pronounced  the  formula  of 
absolution  in  Latin,  saying,  "  Ego  te  absolve  ab  omni, 
bus  peccatis  suis  per  quantum  possum  et.  tu  indiges 
in  vitam  eternam ;  amen."    And  thus  I  was  dismissed. 


CHAPTER  IV, 

THE  FORBIDDEN  FRUIT, 

Next  to  our  dining-room  was  a  small  cabinet,  de- 
signed by  my  father  for  his  study,  and  furnished  ac- 
cordingly with  desks,  books,  and  book-cases,  in  the 
simplest  manner:  but  there  was  near  the  window  a 
small  book-case  which  was  kept  constantly  locked ;  a 
red  curtain  inside  the  glass  door  prevented  the  sight 
of  the  contents ;  an  inscription,  however,  had  been 
placed  upon  that  book-case,  by  which  every  one  was 
made  aware  of  the  dangerous  nature  of  the  contents, 
by  the  words  Libri  proibiti  (prohibited  books). 

It  is  well  known,  I  suppose,  that  the  Popes  for  some 
centuries  have  been  in  the  habit  of  condemning  all 
books  which  do  not  agree  with  their  interests,  views, 
or  prejudices ;  and  that  an  index  of  such  books  has 
been  repeatedly  published,  which  now  has  grown  into 
a  very  large  volume,  comprising  every  kind  of  book, 
from  the  translation  of  the  Bible  to  the  least  pas- 
quinade. To  read  or  keep  any  book  described  in  that 
black  index  is  punished  only  by  excommunication  in 
countries  where  the  Pope  has  no  temporal  power; 
but  his  subjects  enjoy  the  privilege  of  being  sent  to 
the  galleys  for  the  crime. 

To  mitigate,  however,  this  law,  which  they  could 
hardly  enforce  against  scholars,  it  was  determined  by 

(24) 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  25 

the  "Holy  Inquisition"  to  grant  special  permission  of 
reading  and  keeping  more  or  less  of  the  forbidden 
books  to  those  who  can  show  that  they  want  them  for 
their  studies,  and  pay  a  certain  tax  for  the  permission. 
My  father  then  was  in  the  class  of  those  privileged 
persons,  and  kept  those  books  carefully  locked  up, 
according  to  the  clause  of  the  license,  saying,  dum- 
modo  sic  custodial  ne  ad  aliorum  manus  perveniant, 
"provided  he  shall  keep  them  so  that  nobody  else 
may  see  them."  To  disregard  that  clause  would  be 
considered  as  criminal  for  him  as  for  a  druggist  to 
keep  poison  carelessly. 

"  Prohibited  books  ! "  said  I  often  to  myself;  "  how 
nice  they  must  be.  Could  I  at  least  glance  at  their 
titles ; "  and  lo !  during  a  rainy  morning,  my  father 
takes  a  pretty  volume  from  that  mysterious  book-case, 
and  begins  to  read  attentively  some  pages  of  it :  and 
then,  "  Listen  to  this  passage,"  said  he  to  my  mother, 
and  read  some  to  her.  I  pretended  to  be  entirely 
occupied  with  my  play  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  but 
I  did  not  lose  a  word  of  what  was  read.  It  was  a 
touching  description  of  the  dreadful  evils  with  which 
Rome  was  afflicted,  by  the  army  of  the  Emperor 
Charles  the  Fifth,  when  taken  by  it,  during  the  year 
1527,  under  the  command  of  the  French  constable 
of  Bourbon.  It  made  a  deeper  impression  upon  me, 
as  that  dreadful  event  is  stiU  traditionally  known,  and 
spoken  of  with  deep  feeling,  by  all  classes  of  persons 
in  Rome. 

From  that  moment  I  was  possessed  by  a  passionate 
desire  to  explore  the  contents  of  that  mysterious 
book-case,  which  of  course  appeared  marvellous  to 
my  excited  imagination.  I  imparted  my  wishes  to  a 
cousin  of  mine,  then  on  a  visit  at  our  house,  who 
3 


26  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

entered  immediately  into  my  views ;  and,  being  older 
than  myself,  and  very  skilful  in  mechanics,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  supplying  me  with  a  key  to  open  the  book- 
case. He  handed  it  to  me  at  a  late  hour  in  the  even- 
ing of  a  certain  day.  I  hardly  restrained  myself  till 
midnight  should  pass,  and  all  in  the  house  be  quietly 
sleeping;  then  I  slipped  cautiously  into  the  study. 
M.J  heart  beat  quick,  my  breath  was  less  free,  and  my 
hands  trembled  as  if  about  to  undertake  something 
awfully  wrong.  But,  conquering  such  an  impression, 
I  put  in  the  key,  and  lo !  the  dreadful  books  were 
before  my  inquiring  eyes. 

My  inspection  began  with  a  little  carefully  bound 
volume,  as  I  thought  that,  being  so  little  and  beauti- 
ful, would  perhaps  be  even  less  guilty  than  the  oth- 
ers; nay,  I  was  soon  inclined  to  believe  it  to  be 
entirely  pure,  when,  looking  at  the  title,  I  found  that 
it  was  "  Bel  henejizio  della  morfe  di  Cristo/'  by  Aonio 
Paleario.  "  A  book  discoursing  of  the  benefit  which  we 
derive  from  the  death  of  Christ  could  have  been  put 
here  only  through  some  mistake,"  said  I  to  myself. 
But,  as  I  turned  almost  mechanically  the  first  page,  I 
met  on  the  second  leaf  with  a  short  notice  of  the 
author,  in  which  it  was  said  that,  for  having  written 
such  a  book,  he  had  been  condemned  by  the  "  Holy 
Inquisition,"  and  burned  alive  on  the  third  day  of 
July,  1570,  and  the  execution  had  taken  place  in  Rome, 
in  the  "  Piazza  Gampo  di  Fiori.^^ 

It  was  then  after  midnight,  and  my  mind  was  al- 
ready deeply  excited  by  that  furtive  exploration. 
Now  the  idea  of  a  man  burned  alive,  on  account  of 
the  book  I  was  holding  in  my  hands,  appeared  of 
course  to  my  mind  like  a  dreadful  phantom;  and, 
besides,  there  was  in  full  view  the  scene  of  that  dread- 


THE  EOMAN  EXILE.  27 

ful  tragedy ;  for  the  window  near  which  I  stood  fronted 
the  ^^  Piazza  Gampo  di  Fiori,^^  in  which  the  execu- 
tion took  place.  This  pubhc  square  was  formerly 
occupied  by  the  temple  of  Flora,  and  still  preserves 
the  name  of  "  Field  of  Flowers/'  although  polluted  by 
so  many  impious  deeds  of  papal  cruelty. 

For  a  little  while  I  remained  there  motionless  and 
breathless,  shuddering  with  horror  and  mysterious 
fear ;  and  then,  by  a  strong  effort  recovering  posses- 
sion of  myself,  I  sat  down  and  began  to  read  with 
convulsive  eagerness.  As  the  book  was  very  small,  I 
went  through  the  contents  in  a  few  hours.  Then  to 
the  previous  horror  was  joined  in  my  mind  the 
greatest  amazement  and  confusion,  for  I  could  not 
find  in  the  volume  anything  wrong ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  book  was  written  to  explain  the  doctrine  of 
"  original  sin,"  and  the  "  atonement  by  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ,"  through  which  we  are  to  be  saved  by  our 
faith,  —  a  doctrine  which  appeared  to  me  exactly  like 
those  principles  so  early  inculcated  in  me  by  my 
mother  as  to  give  me  the  idea  that  I  was  born  with 
them. 

Then,  looking  for  some  explanation,  I  perused  a 
biographical  sketch  exhibiting  the  leading  features  of 
the  life  of  Paleario,  the  author.  I  found  that  he  was 
a  native  of  Yeroli,  a  city  sixty  miles  east  of  Kome, 
and  a  man  of  great  piety,  virtue,  talent,  and  scholar- 
ship, having  written  many  valuable  books,  and  lectured 
during  many  years  in  several  leading  universities  of 
Italy ;  so  that  he  was  held  in  the  greatest  estimation, 
and  honored  by  the  friendship  and  intimacy  of  all  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  his  age,  including  Cardinals 
Morone,  Saddoleto,  Pole,  Bembo,  and  others. 

The  pubHcation  of  the  book  I  had  read  exposed 


28  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

the  author  to  a  trial  before  the  court  of  Siena,  which 
condemned  him  to  death ;  but,  appeahng  to  the  senate 
of  that  republic,  and  boldly  pleading  his  cause,  he 
avoided  the  punishment  and  recovered  his  freedom. 
Then  Paleario,  abandoning  Siena,  was  allured  under 
false  pretences  to  Bologna.  This  city  was  then  under 
the  protectorate  of  the  Pope,  and  therefore  could  not 
resist  a  friar,  who  was  sent  by  His  Holiness  with 
authority  to  seize  Paleario  and  take  him  to  the  "  Holy 
Inquisition,"  in  Eome.  There  he  was  dreadfully  tor- 
mented, during  three  years,  in  a  horrible  dungeon, 
and  afterwards  he  was  burned  alive,  as  I  have  said, 
preserving  constantly  wonderful  firmness  and  con- 
sistency. 

There  was  something  exceedingly  touching  to  me 
in  the  extract  I  found  there  of  a  letter  which  Paleario 
wrote  to  his  beloved  wife  and  children  during  the 
hour  immediately  preceding  his  death.  "It  is  my 
wish,"  he  said,  "  that  you  should  not  grieve  at  what 
is  my  joy  and  happiness.  I  go  to  my  Lord,  my 
Father,  and  my  God.  He  has  been  pleased  to  call 
me  to  himself  by  a  way  which  will  appear  to  you  a 
hard  and  painful  one;  but,  considering  that  it  hap- 
pens with  ipy  full  submission  and  joy  of  mind,  you  will 
find  comfort  by  relying  upon  the  will  of  God.  I  am 
now  a  useless  old  man.  I  leave  you,  for  your  inher- 
itance, industry  and  virtue,  together  with  the  goods 
which  I  have  already  put  into  your  possession,  upon 
which  there  are  no  debts.  My  hour  is  coming.  May 
the  Spirit  of  God  console  you.     Farewell." 

I  need  not  say  that  my  warmest  sympathy  was 
immediately  won  for  that  victim.  Then,  and  ever 
since,  it  appeared  to  me  that  a  man  standing  firmly  for 
his  opinions,  and  never  yielding,  even  before  tortures 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  29 

and  death,  is  the  most  sublime  expression  of  true 
greatness  and  virtue.  My  sympathy  would  perhaps 
have  been  equally  warm  even  if  I  had  detected  any 
faults  in  the  book  of  Paleario ;  but  this  was  not  the 
case.  His  opinions  appeared  to  me  as  just  as  they 
were  wise  and  pious ;  and  they  increased  the  interest 
I  felt  in  him,  and  the  confusion  of  my  ideas. 

The  break  of  day  found  me  lingering  before  the 
fatal  book-case.  Warned  by  the  light,  I  replaced  the 
book,  shut  up  the  case,  and  cautiously  regained  my 
room,  in  order  to  avoid  surprise  or  discovery.  But  I 
had  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit,  and  now  I  felt  the  con- 
sequences: agitation,  doubt,  and  confusion  troubled 
my  mind  constantly. 
3^ 


CHAPTER  V. 

MYSTERIES  AND  DEATH. 

Several  days  had  passed  since  my  nocturnal  ex- 
ploration of  the  case  of  forbidden  books,  and,  never- 
theless, my  mind  was  yet  filled  with  the  sad  impressions 
of  that  night.  My  inquisitiveness  was  now  indeed 
bitterly  repaid  by  the  trouble  of  my  mind.  "  There 
is  a  mystery,"  said  I  often  to  myself;  "and  myste- 
ries should  be  respected,  especially  at  my  age."       / 

In  fact,  mystery  is  a  familiar  idea,  and  commands 
an  instinctive  respect  in  the  mind  of  a  child  born  and 
educated  in  Rome.  There,  persons,  laws,  and  insti- 
tutions, no  less  than  the  ground,  buildings,  and  ruins, 
appear  to  involve  some  mystery.  Nay,  Rome  itself 
is  nothing  but  a  great  mystery.  That  proud  city, 
concealing  its  origin  among  the  darkness  of  primitive 
ages,  subdued  the  world  by  arms,  and  then  by  faith ; 
and  now  again,  casting  away  the  corrupt  and  degraded 
papacy,  awakes  amidst  the  dreadful  struggle  of  ancient 
and  modern  times,  uttering  the  cry,  "God  and  the 
people,"  which  means  the  whole  future  of  the  third 
era  of  its  greatness  connected  with  the  progress  of 
mankind. 

But  now,  everything  around  me,  and  even  within 
me,  appeared  to  me  like  mystery ;  nor  could  I  succeed 
in  casting  aside  those  new,  troubling  thoughts.    First 

(30) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.         »  31 

of  all,  that  poor  Paleario,  burned  alive,  was  constantly 
before  my  imagination.  He,  so  learned,  so  pious  and 
noble-minded,  was  he  not  an  imitator  of  Christ,  dying 
submissive  to  the  will  of  God  for  the  triumph  of  the 
truth?  And,  certainly,  Paleario  appeared  to  me  like 
those  earlier  followers  of  Christ,  whose  virtuous  life 
and  glorious  death  had  been  narrated  to  me  so  often. 
But,  if  so,  were  not  the  Popes,  Inquisition,  and  Jesuits 
like  those  Jews  and  wicked  Emperors  who  killed 
Christ  and  his  followers  for  the  sake  of  the  truth? 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  why  did  they  claim  to  be 
Christians  ? 

Besides,  my  mother  was  of  course  a  pious  and 
religious  woman ;  but  why  then  did  she  not  go  to  the 
church  and  confession  as  often  as  the  neighboring 
ladies?  And  then  I  recollected  what  had  happened 
when  I  was  desired  to  go  to  confess,  and  there  I  found 
something  not  quite  clear.  And  again,  why  was  I 
taught  at  home  by  private  expensive  teachers,  instead 
of  being  sent  to  the  "  CoUegio  Romano,"  or  other  pub- 
lic schools,  where  the  Jesuits  taught  thoroughly  for 
nothing  ? 

The  scrutinizing  eye  of  an  affectionate  mother 
would  of  course  easily  discover  that  I  was  troubled 
by  some  painful  thoughts ;  and  she  more  than  once 
tried  to  find  out  what  was  the  matter  with  me.  But 
I  avoided  all  her  questions,  and  finally  declared  that 
it  was  a  secret  of  my  conscience,  which  she  ought  to 
respect  for  having  sent  me  to  confess  against  my  will. 
Then  she  did  not  insist  any  longer. 

It  happened  that  one  night,  being  yet  awake  in  my 
bed,  I  heard  groaning  in  the  next  room,  which  was 
occupied  by  the  aged  father  of  my  mother,  as  I  men- 
tioned before.   -I  went  there  immediately,  and,  finding 


32  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

him  to  be  in  a  very  alarming  state,  I  ran  to  seek  for  a 
physician.  Some  relief  was  soon  administered  to  the 
patient ;  but,  from  that  moment,  we  attended  him  con- 
stantly by  turns,  for  his  life  was  in  great  danger. 

A  few  nights  after  that,  and  during  my  term  of 
attendance,  the  sick  man  having  a  moment  of  rest,  we 
entered  into  a  close  conversation,  during  which  he 
remarked  that  he  had  but  a  few  hours  more  to  live ; 
and,  as  at  this  I  could  not  refrain  from  weeping  bit- 
terly, he  added,  "  Do  not  weep.  Death  is  but  the  nat- 
ural consequence  of  being  born,*  besides,  there  is 
nothing  painful  connected  with  the  approaching  end 
of  my  life.  Have  I  not  lived  many  years  ?  And  now 
I  am  dying  quietly  in  my  bed,  surrounded  by  the 
affectionate  care  of  my  dearest  relatives ;  and,  what  is 
best  of  all,  I  feel  that  reliance  upon  the  divine  grace 
which  is  a  pledge  of  salvation.  Nor  does  death  come 
unexpectedly  upon  me ;  it  is  long  since  I  have  been 
warned  of  my  approaching  end.  Look  at  that  case 
which  is  under  my  bed ;  it  is  the  coffin  I  had  prepared 
for  myself  three  years  ago." 

The  venerable  old  man  uttered  these  words  with 
such  an  expression  of  calmness,  firmness,  and  confi- 
dence, that  I  felt  almost  reconciled  to  my  lot  in  losing 
such  a  valuable  friend.  And  then,  being  exceedingly 
touched,  I  could  not  help  disclosing  entirely  to  him 
my  thoughts,  my  doubts,  and  what  I  had  done  rash 
or  wrong.  He  remained  for  a  little  while  silent  and 
thoughtful,  and  then  he  said  to  me,  "  Thou  hast  en- 
tered too  early  into  perilous  researches.  Thou  art 
yet  a  child :  wait  for  a  proper  time  to  obtain  the  expla- 
nation of  those  mysteries,  and  do  not  trouble  thyself 
about  it  now." 

I  was  very  little  satisfied,   of  course,  with  that 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  33 

answer ;  nay,  I  was  rather  hurt  by  the  appearance  of 
mistrust  concerning  my  age.  "  I  do  not  pretend  to  be 
rehed  upon/'  said  I,  "  but  I  tell  you  that  I  know  how 
to  be  silent.  For  instance,  all  that  you  told  me  last 
year  about  the  confession  no  one  has  known  from  me, 
not  even  my  mother.'' 

"  Is  it  possible  ! "  said  the  sick  man ;  and  he  would 
perhaps  have  added  some  explanations,  but  at  that 
moment  my  mother  entered  the  room,  in  order  to  take 
her  turn  and  send  me  to  bed. 

Next  day, — it  was  the  seventh  since  my  grandfather 
had  been  seized  by  that  fatal  sickness, — towards  dusk, 
a  vetturino  carriage  stopped  at  our  door,  bringing  a 
gentleman,  who  came  in  like  an  old  acquaintance  of 
the  family.  I  did  not  know  him,  but  he  appeared  to 
know  me,  for  he  addressed  me  by  name  in  the  most 
caressing  manner,  and  said,  '^  Is  your  mother  at  home?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  I,  and  introduced  him  into  the  draw- 
ing-room, saying,  "Mother,  here  is  a  stranger  who 
wishes  to  see  you." 

My  mother  appeared  to  be  exceedingly  delighted 
and  comforted  at  the  appearance  of  this  gentleman, 
who,  after  having  respectfully  kissed  her  hand  in  the 
Italian  fashion,  inquired,  anxiously,  "Is  he  stiU  living?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  my  mother,  with  emotion ;  "  but 
his  hour  approaches  rapidly." 

"  Let  us  go  and  see  him,"  repUed  the  stranger. 
And  they  were  going  up  stairs,  when  my  father  entered 
the  hall :  he  embraced  the  new  comer  like  an  old 
friend ;  and,  after  a  short  conversation,  I  heard  the 
stranger  say,  "  Now  I  have  a  good  passport,  and  I  do 
not  want  to  hide  myself"  At  this,  my  father  went  to 
his  desk,  and,  taking  a  printed  sheet  of  paper,  filled 
up  some  blanks  in  it,  and  then  gave  it  to  me  to  be 


34  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

taken  to  the  police-oflSce.  That  sheet  contained  the 
announcement  required  by  law  of  having  received  into 
his  house  a  guest,  and,  consequently,  exhibited  the 
name  of  the  new  comer,  his  birth-place,  age,  social 
condition,  habitual  residence,  the  business  he  was 
coming  for,  how  long  he  would  remain,  and  the  reason 
for  which  hospitality  was  extended  to  him. 

The  neglect  of  such  an  immediate  announcement 
after  having  received  a  guest  would  be  punished  in 
ordinary  times  with  a  heavy  fine  and  an  imprisonment 
for  some  months ;  but,  when  martial  law  has  been  de- 
clared, the  offence  is  sometimes  punished  by  ten  years 
in  the  galleys. 

Next  morning,  as  early  as  four  o'clock,  my  sleep  was 
broken  by  my  mother,  who  dressed  me  in  haste  and 
took  me  to  the  room  of  her  father,  who  was  breathing 
his  last,  and  had  desired  to  bless  me  in  that  last 
solemn  moment.  The  scene  was  more  imposing  than 
distressing.  The  venerable  old  man,  speechless  and 
immovable,  had  lost  nothing  of  his  serene  countenance ; 
he  looked  round  his  bed,  surrounded  by  the  whole 
of  our  family,  as  if  taking  leave  of  us  with  the  most 
benevolent  air.  In  the  mean  time,  the  strange  gentle- 
man of  the  evening  before,  holding  the  right  hand  of 
the  dying  man,  was  speaking  the  sweetest  and  most 
consoling  words  I  had  ever  heard.  This  lasted  but 
a  few  moments ;  and  then  I  saw  some  slight  convulsive 
movements  on  that  face  which  was  soon  after  com- 
posed in  the  solemn  quiet  of  death. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  same  morning,  the  father  curate 
made  his  appearance  at  our  house.  He  had  heard  of 
the  death  which  had  occurred,  and  was  coming  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  burial.  The  curate  at  first  made 
some  bitter  remarks  to  my  father  for  not  having  called 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  35 

him  to  assist  the  dying  man  and  administer  the  sacra- 
ments to  him,  and  said  he  would  be  right  in  denying 
the  honor  of  burial  to  the  corpse.  My  father  uttered 
some  light  excuses,  to  which  the  curate  yielded  easily, 
because  the  dead  was  believed  to  have  left  a  certain 
fortune,  and  the  curate  was  anxious  to  share  some  of 
it  under  the  title  of  funeral  expenses. 

Now  the  deceased  had  some  years  before  made  his 
last  will,  consigning  it,  sealed,  to  a  public  notary,  who 
then  came  to  open  it  in  the  presence  of  the  corpse  and 
seven  witnesses,  according  to  our  laws  and  customs. 
The  curate  attended  the  ceremony  in  order  to  learn 
the  directions  for  the  burial. 

"  I  direct  my  beloved  daughter  to  procure  the  inter- 
ment of  my  corpse  without  any  pomp,  and  in  the  least 
Qostly  manner  possible."  That  was  all  on  the  subject 
of  the  burial,  which  took  place  exactly  as  he  had 
directed. 

Next  morning,  however,  the  sexton  called  at  our 
house,  bringing  the  bill  from  the  Rev.  Father  Curate. 
It  was  very  short  and  simple,  and  written  in  Latin, 
according  to  the  fashion :  "  Pro  funere  non  facto,  du- 
centa  scutatorum."  That  is  to  say,"  For  not  having 
made  the  solemn  burial,  two  hundred  dollars." 

My  mother  read  the  bill,  and  then  turning  to  the 
sexton  she  said,  almost  ironically,  "  And  how  much 
would  the  father  curate  have  pretended  to  ask  if  he 
had  made  the  solemn  funeral?" 

"  The  same  sum,"  coolly  answered  the  sexton,  "  be- 
cause our  taxes  are  regulated  by  the  wealth  of  the 
dead  only." 

"  Well,"  replied  my  mother,  "  but,  now  the  funeral 
having  not  taken  place,  what  good  will  it  do  to  me  or 
my  father  to  pay  that  sum  ?  " 


36  THE  ROMAN   EXILE. 

The  sexton,  by  no  means  disconcerted,  went  on  to 
explain,  politely  and  skilfully,  that  every  curate  pos- 
sesses the  right,  which  is  called  "  of  stola  nera  "  (black 
stole  or  dress),  by  which  he  exacts  taxes  from  his  flock 
on  occasion  of  deaths,  in  the  same  manner  that  he 
raises  contributions  when  baptizing  or  solemnizing 
marriages,  in  consequence  of  his  right  called  "  of  stola 
bianca  "  (white  stole).  "  Besides,"  added  the  sexton, 
"  it  will  aid  the  soul  of  your  father  to  escape  sooner 
from  the  pains  of  purgatory." 

My  mother  was  by  no  means  fond  of  money,  and, 
affectionate  as  she  was  to  her  father,  and  distressed 
now  by  his  loss,  she  would  have  given  willingly  every- 
thing in  order  to  relieve  his  soul  from  pain.  But, 
as  every  mortal  being  has  some  peculiar  fault,  so  she 
happened  not  to  believe  in  the  existence  of  purga- 
tory, and  was  not  in  the  least  inclined  to  encourage 
that  trade.  ^^  Tell  the  Rev.  Father  Curate  that  my 
husband  will  call  on  him  for  the  settlement  of  the 
matter,"  said  she  to  the  sexton,  who  went  away  mut- 
tering. 

My  mother  called  with  the  bill  at  a  lawyer's  office 
to  inquire  if  the  curate  was  wrong ;  but  she  was  told 
that  he  was  right,  because  there  was  really  a  law 
enforcing  such  impositions,  and  she  must  submit  and 
pay  the  bill. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

.      THE  PRETEXTA  AND   MY  HOME. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1836,  there  was  at  our  house 
a  modest  but  cheerful  dinner,  attended  by  some  of 
our  most  intimate  friends  and  relatives;  they  had 
been  gathered  together  cautiously,  in  order  to  avoid 
a  descent  of  the  papal  sbirrij  who  would  not  have 
failed  to  disturb  our  dinner  if  they  had  known  the 
object  of  it.  In  fact,  my  father  had  taken  it  into  his 
head  to  celebrate  the  completion  of  my  fourteenth 
year,  giving  me  solemnly  a  man's  coat,  —  in  the  same 
manner  that  the  ancient  Romans  presented  the  pre- 
texta  to  their  children,  who,  from  that  moment,  ac- 
quired all  the  rights  and  were  subjected  to  all  the 
duties  of  the  Roman  citizenship. 

I  was,  of  course,  the  lion  of  the  banquet,  and  many 
toasts  were  addressed  to  me,  in  verse  as  well  as  in 
prose ;  and  then  my  father,  presenting  me  with  a  fine 
black  coat,  delivered  a  beautiful  speech,  which  was 
very  much  applauded  by  our  guests.  As  for  me,  I 
immediately  put  on  my  new  coat,  assuming  a  grave 
and  dignified  countenance,  and  mingled  with  the  gen- 
tlemen, instead  of  clinging  to  my  mother,  as  I  would 
have  done  on  former  occasions.  My  father  appeared 
to  be  satisfied  with  my  conduct,  and  announced  to  me 
that  from  that  moment  I  must  take  care  of  myself; 
4  (37) 


38  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

that  he  would  soon  send  me  to  Ravenna  in  order  to 
attend  the  public  schools,  and  there  he  would  not 
exercise  any  control  over  me,  nor  introduce  me  to  any 
of  his  friends.  "  Your  good  conduct,"  added  he,  "  is 
of  more  special  importance  to  yourself  than  to  me  or 
any  one  else,  and  upon  it  will  depend  your  meeting 
or  not  with  valuable  friends." 

I  was  a  little  flattered  by  this,  and  felt  I  had 
strength  enough  to  take  care  of  myself,  and  to  justify 
my  father's  confidence.  My  mother,  on  the  contrary, 
was  disturbed,  and  ventured  to  observe  that  I  was 
too  young. 

"  If  you  keep  him  like  a  boy  for  twenty  years  more, 
he  will  then  be  less  capable  than  now  of  taking  care 
of  himself:  he  must  learn  early  how  to  live  in  the 
world." 

She  made  no  reply,  knowing  of  course  that  it  was 
a  resolution  previously  taken,  and  that  it  would  be 
firmly  kept  by  him ;  and  in  Italy,  by  a  kind  of  tacit 
compromise,  the  father  disposes  of  the  sons  and  the 
mother  of  the  daughters.  Besides,  she  agreed  per- 
fectly in  the  determination  to  send  me  to  Ravenna, 
because  the  public  schools  there  were  not  in  the 
hands  of  the  Jesuits  as  those  of  Rome. 

At  that  important  epoch  of  my  life,  our  family  con- 
sisted of  my  father  and  mother,  of  course ;  and  be- 
sides, I  had  some  younger  brothers  and  sisters,  the 
number  of  whom,  occasionally  varied  by  births  and 
deaths,  was  at  last  settled  at  five  sisters  and  two 
brothers.  An  old  faithful  servant  and  a  learned 
teacher  formed  a  prominent  part  of  the  family,  no 
less  than  I,  the  eldest  son. 

My  father,  notwithstanding  some  peculiar  ideas,  was 
a  noble  man,  liberally  endowed  with  talent  and  many 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  39 

good  qualities  from  nature.  "What  was  his  busi- 
ness?" a  gentleman  asked  me  not  long;  ago;  and  I 
was  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  confess  that  his  business 
was  "  II  dolce  far  niente ''  (the  sweet  doing  nothing), 
with  which  foreigners  so  often  bitterly  reproach  the 
Italians. 

"How  can  a  man  live  without  doing  anything  in 
the  world  ? "  inquired  the  gentleman ;  to.  whom  I 
answered,  "I  do  not  mean  that  he  did  nothing  at 
all,  —  nay,  he  rode  and  hunted  very  often,  read  books 
when  the  weather  was  bad,  and  occasionally  composed 
pleasant  poems,  and  was  even  suspected  to  be  the 
author  of  some  witty  pasquinades.'^ 

"Beautiful  occupations  indeed,"  interrupted  the 
gentleman;  "but  a  man  who  is  not  rich  and  has 
many  children  must  give  himself  to  some  productive 
occupation,  as  they  do  in  England  and  America." 

Nothing,  of  course,  is  more  right  than  this  decision ; 
but  is  it  equally  possible  in  Italy,  as  in  England  and 
America,  to  undertake  some  productive  business  ?  As 
for  my  father,  I  have  seen  him  so  tired  and  annoyed 
with  his  "  dolce  far  niente,"  that  I  am  sure  he  would 
have  attended  to  some  serious  business  with  the 
greatest  pleasure.  But  what  could  he  have  done? 
All  his  good  qualities,  disposition,  and  activity  were 
paralyzed  by  his  social  position,  as  is  the  case  with 
numbers  in  Italy. 

In  fact,  my  father  early  entered  upon  a  military 
career,  for  which  he  proved  himself  very  well  fitted, 
during  the  last  wars  of  Napoleon ;  but  this  career  was 
cut  short  by  the  restoration  of  papacy.  My  father  did 
not  on  this  account  give  up  the  idea  of  an  honorable 
and  useful  career  ;  nay,  he  went  to  the  University  of 
Bologna,  and  with  the  greatest  patience  and  earnest- 


40  THE    ROMAN  EXILE. 

ness  studied  medicine ;  and,  after  four  years  of  perse- 
vering application,  crowned  with  success,  he  was 
about  receiving  his  degree,  when  suddenly  he  was 
ordered  to  leave  the  university  and  renounce  forever 
the  idea  of  practising  medicine,  because  he  had  been 
suspected  of  some  connection  with  a  political  plot. 

My  father  then  made  attempts  to  establish  and  carry 
on  a  commercial  business,  devoting  to  it  a  considera- 
ble part  of  his  property  and  the  whole  of  his  atten- 
tion. But  commerce,  every  one  knows,  is  so  fond  of 
liberty  that  it  sometimes  brings  it,  and  can  never  exist 
without  it.  So  that  I  need  not  say  that  commerce  had 
been  almost  annihilated  in  our  country  since  the  papal 
restoration.  Besides,  my  father  was  kept  under  par- 
ticular control  by  the  papal  police :  they  would  not 
allow  him  to  travel  nor  move  from  place  to  place 
except  he  could  prove  it  to  be  necessary ;  and  then, 
a  constant  watch  being  kept  upon  him,  he  could 
not  have  any  intercourse  with  other  men  of  business 
without  creating  new  suspicions  against  himself,  and 
compromising  others. 

My  father  thus  found  himself  compelled  to  with- 
draw from  business,  losing  the  property  he  had  de- 
voted to  it.  It  was  in  that  manner  that  he  was 
reduced  to  "  far  niente,^'  relying,  for  the  support  of 
himself  and  his  family,  upon  the  rents  of  some  real 
estate  belonging  to  the  inheritance  of  his  mother.  So 
that  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  him  abused  for  his  "  dolce 
far  niente ;  '^  nay,  I  would  have  every  one  pity  him  for 
his  forced  and  bitter  idleness.  Besides,  and  above  all, 
I  feel  very  much  indebted  to  him  for  having  inspired 
me  with  the  greatest  ardor  for  active  hfe,  and  given 
me,  by  means  of  a  wise  education,  a  patrimony  which 
papal  confiscation  cannot  reach. 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  41 

I  wish  to  add,  that  an  ItaKan  ought  not  to  be  judged 
according  to  the  ideas  prevaihng  in  England  and 
America  on  this  subject:  we  are  not  possessed  by 
that  eagerness  for  making  money  which  is  the  most 
powerful  stimulant  to  activity  and  daring  enterprise. 
Italians  have  very  few  physical  wants,  and  know  how 
to  restrain  them  within  the  limits  of  their  means; 
"  comfort  '^  is  a  word  not  to  be  found  in  our  language : 
thus  we  are  easily  reconciled  to  moderate  fortunes, 
especially  when  we  possess  a  house  and  a  piece  of 
land,  which  have  been  the  constant  object  of  the  ear- 
nest wishes  of  Italians,  from  ancient  times  down  to 
our  days. 

My  father  had  saved  a  country  seat  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  from  the  wreck  of  his  paternal  inher- 
itance, and  some  more  valuable  property  had  been 
left  to  him  by  his  mother ;  and  thus  he  considered 
himself,  and  was  acknowledged  by  others,  as  a  man  of 
standing,  and  rich  enough.  So  that,  being  young, 
and  possessing  some  personal  advantages,  he  might 
have  married  a  young  lady  of  fortune,  which  is  not 
difficult  in  Rome,  where  the  immense  number  of 
priests  and  friars  condemns  to  a  forced  celibacy  a 
great  many  young  ladies.  But  he  gave  up  that  ad- 
vantage, to  contract  a  marriage  of  the  heart,  the  story 
of  which  is  an  illustration  of  his  character. 

After  having  fought  the  last  battle  of  Napoleon,  at. 
Waterloo,  my  father  was  coming  home  in  a  miserable 
condition,  not  yet  entirely  recovered  from  the  effects 
of  two  wounds  received  there,  and  having  no  money 
to  travel  comfortably.  He  had  crossed  the  Alps  on 
foot,  and  reached  the  Appenines,  between  Piedmont 
and  Tuscany,  depending  upon  the  small  indemnity 
paid  to  the  travelling  soldiers ;  but,  on  a  very  hot  day, 
4* 


42  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

towards  dusk,  he  fainted  on  the  road,  and  was  taken 
dangerously  ill,  his  wounds  having  opened  again. 
Some  passers-by  took  him  into  a  small  cottage  near  at 
hand,  where  he  met  with  the  warmest  reception,  and 
was  attended  with  the  most  affectionate  care,  until  he 
entirely  i-ecovered. 

The  owner  of  that  cottage  was  a  gentleman  of  talent 
and  highly  cultivated  mind,  who  had  enjoyed  a  bril- 
liant position  during  the  reign  of  Napoleon,  and  who 
now,  having  lost  almost  all  his  fortune  and  experienced 
many  disappointments,  disgusted  with  the  immoral 
spectacle  of  the  restored  tyrants,  had  retired  to  that 
mountain,  with  a  daughter,  who  was  then  fifteen  years 
old.  She  had  been  brought  up  in  the  world,  and  nev- 
ertheless showed  no  uneasiness  in  that  retired  life ; 
nay,  she  constantly  endeavored  to  make  it  tolerable 
to  her  father,  by  her  afiectionate  care,  playful  humor, 
and  sweet  music. 

The  innocent  charms  of  tnat  blooming  girl  must 
have  been  very  attractive ;  for  she  had  the  most  reg- 
ular features,  and,  even  in  mature  Hfe,  preserved 
such  an  expression  of  modesty  and  tender  afiection 
that  she  seemed  to  have  been  created  to  be  beloved. 
It  was  not  strange,  then,  if  the  sick  youth,  recover- 
ing from  his  bodily  wounds,  became  touched  with 
love,  —  a  disease  in  which  the  young  lady  herself 
soon  shared. 

"  I  have  a  certain  fortune  at  home,"  said  the  young 
man,  in  the  act  of  taking  leave  of  the  excellent  and 
hospitable  gentleman, — "I  have  a  certain  fortune  at 
home,  and,  besides,  I  intend  to  practise  some  produc- 
tive profession.  Let  me  marry  your  daughter,  and 
we  will  live  happily  together." 

The  old  gentleman  did  not  understand  the  sentiment 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  43 

which  had  led  the  young  man  to  make  that  proposi- 
tion, and  his  delicate  feelings  were  therefore  wounded 
by  the  suspicion  that  the  offer  was  made  in  order  to 
relieve  him  from  his  present  condition.  So  that, 
assuming  a  severe  air,  he  gave  a  negative  answer,  in 
the  coldest  manner.  The  young  man  interpreted  it 
as  a  mark  of  distrust  and  indifference,  and  they  sep- 
arated with  reciprocal  coolness. 

In  Rome  my  father  mingled  in  gay  society,  and  then 
went  to  Bologna  to  attend  the  lectures  on  medicine 
at  that  celebrated  university,  and  there  also  he  was  in 
the  gay  world;  but  nothing  could  remove  from  his 
heart  his  love  for  the  fair  mountaineer  of  the  Appe- 
nines  ;  nay,  the  disappointments  in  his  career,  and  the 
dreadful  oppression  of  his  native  country,  made  him 
feel  more  and  more  the  want  of  that  domestic  happi- 
ness of  which  he  had  dreamed  so  often  when  thinking 
of  that  girl. 

One  day  a  fashionable  young  gentleman,  mounted 
on  a  fine  horse,  arrived  suddenly  at  the  door  of  the 
cottage  mentioned  before.  The  daughter  of  the 
house,  now  a  perfectly  grown-up  young  lady,  was 
playing  on  her  guitar,  and  singing  a  touching  air,  to 
which  her  father  was  listening  with  an  expression  of 
deep  melancholy.  They  soon  understood  each  other 
very  well,  and  all  was  arranged. 

^^  What  have  you  been  doing  these  last  five  years  ?  '^ 
was  the  first  confidential  inquiry  of  the  young  gen- 
tleman. 

''  I  have  been  waiting  for  you,"  replied  the  blushing 
girl.  She  had  been  waiting  in  that  solitude  for  five 
years,  without  being  comforted  by  any  promise,  with- 
out receiving  any  tidings  of  him.  She  loved,  and 
that  was  enough  for  her. 


44  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

I  must  add,  that  few  marriages  have  been  happier 
than  this.  On  being  introduced  into  the  refined  soci- 
ety of  Eome,  my  mother  filled  her  new  position  with 
easy  grace ;  but  she  was  not  fond  of  amusements,  feel- 
ing herself  in  her  true  element  only  when  at  home. 
In  fact,  she  was  not  able  to  play  on  the  piano-forte  nor 
to  sing  modern  opera  airs,  and  even  to  modern  danc- 
ing she  was  a  stranger ;  but  she  was  a  good  Italian 
scholar,  knew  Latin  and  French,  besides  being  ac- 
quainted with  all  household  concerns,  and  with  her 
own  hands  provided  the  clothing  of  all  her  children, 
although  they  were  at  one  time  no  less  than  twelve  in 
number. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

MY  FIRST  EXPERIENCES  IN  THE  WORLD. 

My  mother  loved  me  exceedingly,  and  I  loved  her 
as  much  as  a  child  may  love ;  but  some  disagreement 
often  disturbed  our  intercourse.  In  fact,  she  was  a 
little  too  fond  of  discipline,  and  I,  a  lively  boy,  was 
rather  impatient  under  it.  When  I  recollect  how  many 
tears  I  have  caused  her  by  my  childish  excesses,  I 
still  regret  that  I  was  not  able  to  control  my  warm 
temperament.  Each  fault  was  followed  by  deep  re- 
pentance, and  many  promises  of  good  behavior ;  but, 
alas  I  nature  was  too  strong  to  submit  to  the  artificial 
restraints  which  were  imposed  upon  me.  Perhaps  my 
mother  understood  it,  and  perhaps  she  felt  inclined  to 
be  forbearing  with  me ;  but  she  was  not  able  to  con- 
quer the  common  prejudices  concerning  the  education 
of  children  in  Italy.  Besides,  she  was  constantly 
reproached  by  her  friends  and  relatives,  who  said  that 
she  loved  me  too  much,  and  consequently  spoiled  me. 
My  father  alone  was  not  of  the  same  opinion;  and 
sometimes  he  concealed  my  faults  or  tried  to  excuse 
me. 

Let  no  one,  however,  suppose  that  my  faults  were 
of  a  serious  character.  Sometimes  I  did  not  walk  in 
a  dignified  manner  when  in  the  public  promenade  or 
in  the  street ;  or  I  associated  with  other  boys  who 

(45) 


46  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

liked  discipline  as  little  as  myself;  .more  frequently,  I 
made  a  noise  by  running  and  jumping  in  the  apart- 
ments, or  in  the  court-yard,  where  I  exerted  my  gym- 
nastic powers  and  tried  my  voice  rather  too  freely. 

But  the  greatest  want  of  discipline  I  ever  showed 
was  one  evening  when  there  was  a  dinner-party  at  our 
house.  Short  and  thin  as  I  was,  I  had  been  placed 
between  two  very  tall  gentlemen,  who  were  talking  to 
each  other,  thinking  but  little  of  me ;  and,  when  the 
large  dish  with  meat  made  the  tour  of  the  table,  in 
order  that  every  one  should  help  himself,  in  the  Italian 
fashion,  they  forgot  to  hand  it  to  me.  I  happened 
to  be  very  hungry  that  evening,  and  the  smell  of 
the  meat  was  very  tantalizing ;  so  that,  after  a  Httle 
while,  I  could  not  refrain  from  raising  my  voice  and 
asking  for  some  of  it.  At  this,  my  mother  blushed 
deeply,  and  the  whole  party  looked  scandalized ;  even 
my  father  gave  me  a  severe  glance,  because  the  cir- 
cumstance of  there  being  a  party  aggravated  the 
fault  which  I  had  committed  by  breaking  silence  at 
table.  Indeed,  that  evening  I  was  in  a  bad  strain. 
As  soon  as  the  dinner  was  over,  and  we  went  into 
the  drawing-room  to  take  a  cup  of  coffee,  instead  of 
quietly  taking  my  seat,  I  made  some  excursions  around 
the  room,  with  rather  quick  and  noisy  steps;  and, 
being  told  to  desist,  I  accosted  a  group  of  gentlemen, 
one  of  whom  was  describing  the  distress  he  had  wit- 
nessed in  Genoa,  when  that  city  was  besieged  by  the 
English,  during  the  year  1800.  "  The  English  admiral 
had  offered  good  terms  of  capitulation,  but  the  com- 
mander answered  that  he  would  not  surrender  till 
obliged  by  famine  to  eat  his  boots.  That  commander," 
added  the  speaker,  "  was  a  French  general " 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  47 

"No,"  interrupted  I,  "he  was  an  Italian,  namely, 
Massena." 

The  gentleman  looked  upon  me  sternly,  and  then 
said,  "  You  will  do  better  to  speak  when  you  are  re- 
quested to  do  so  ;  "  and  then  turned  away  from  me 
contemptuously,  and  continued  his  speech.  It  was 
my  last  offence  that  evening,  for  I  was  ordered  imme- 
diately to  go  to  bed. 

Now,  the  time  of  my  deliverance  from  such  disci- 
pline, which  had  become  every  day  more  intolerable 
to  me,  was  indeed  an  occasion  of  great  rejoicing. 
But  I  must  confess  that,  having  been  brought  up  under 
so  many  restrictions,  I  felt  now  quite  disposed  to 
indulge  to  the  contrary ;  and  by  and  by  I  became  a 
httle  daring,  troublesome  rogue.  My  father  knew 
something  of  it,  but,  "  Never  mind,"  said  he ;  "  let  him 
learn  how  to  live  in  the  worM  by  his  own  experience." 
In  fact,  I  met  with  so  many  unpleasant  adventures  in 
my  new  career  that  I  put  a  stop  to  it  myself.  I 
will  mention  some  of  those  adventures,  which  proved 
good  lessons  in  my  subsequent  conduct. 

Late  on  the  evening  of  a  summer  day,  I  went  to  see 
the  Coliseum  illuminated  by  a  beautiful  moonlight. 
In  order  to  enjoy  that  glorious  sight  in  the  best  man- 
ner, I  had  taken  a  seat  in  a  dark  corner.  I  was  all 
alone,  and  thought  the  place  deserted;  but,  after  a 
little  time,  I  saw,  like  a  vision,  four  young  ladies  play- 
ing gracefully  not  far  from  me.  They  also  were 
alone,  their  attendant  being,  perhaps,  in  another  part 
of  that  immense  edifice.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to 
explain  the  impression  made  upon  my  young  mind  by 
those  beautiful  and  playful  creatures,  in  their  simple 
white  dresses. 

They  happened  to  pass  near  me;   and,  instead  of 


48  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

being  frightened  by  unexpectedly  finding  there  a 
youth,  they  looked  upon  me  freely  and  easily,  and 
then  came  back  and  passed  again  before  me.  At  this, 
rising  from  my  seat  by  a  sudden,  almost  involuntary 
movement,  I  rushed  towards  them,  and,  without  re- 
flecting on  what  I  Avas  doing,  or  why  I  did  it,  I  caught 
one  of  them  in  my  arms.  Perhaps  it  was  in  the  same 
manner  that,  in  the  same  place,  in  old  times,  Romulus 
took  possession  of  Hersilia,  the  fair  Sabine  mountain- 
eer. But  my  fair  one  was  not  a  native  of  Italy ;  and 
so,  instead  of  screaming  and  fainting,  she,  by  a  reso- 
lute and  sudden  movement,  disengaged  herself  from 
my  grasp,  and  then  applied  an  earnest  slap  upon  my 
face,  accompanying  that  unpleasant  gesture  by  some 
words  which  I  did  not  understand,  but  they  sounded 
very  harshly  in  my  ears  —  much  like  rogue,  rascal, 
ruffian  !  And  this  was  but  a  signal  to  the  other  young 
girls,  who  immediately  came  to  her  help,  and  revenged 
themselves  upon  me  with  such  fury  that,  in  great  dis- 
order, and  bleeding,  I  considered  myself  fortunate  to 
escape  from  their  nails  by  a  cowardly  flight. 

Next  evening,  while  I  was  at  the  house  of  a  friend, 
a  gentleman  called  there,  and,  to  amuse  the  party, 
related  to  us  that,  on  the  preceding  evening,  four 
young  ladies  from  America  had  met  in  the  Coliseum 
a  daring  rogue,  who  disturbed  their  innocent  sports  ; 
but  they  had  given  him  a  good  lesson.  Of  course  all 
the  company  were  amused  and  gratified  except  myself 
But,  from  that  moment,  I  have  had  an  instinctive 
respect  for  young  ladies ;  and  to  aU  my  friends  who 
were  going  to  America  I  constantly  gave  the  good 
advice,  "  Look  out  for  the  Yankee  girls." 

A  few  days  after  that  event,  I  was  walking  with 
two    friends  on  the  ground  of  the  ancient   Roman 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  49 

Forum,  when  we  met,  in  the  twilight,  two  Jesuits  re- 
turning home  from  their  promenade.  They  exhibited 
such  an  air  of  affected  devotion  and  humihty  that  we, 
looking  at  each  other,  smiled  maliciously. 

"  It  is  a  pity,"  then  said  one  of  them  to  his  com- 
panion, "that  in  this  holy  city  there  are  so  many 
vagrant  children,  shamefully  allowed  to  disgrace  the 
streets  and  promenades." 

This  insult  was  evidently  directed  against  my  friends 
and  me  ;  and  we  felt  it  bitterly ;  so  that  we  followed 
the  Jesuits,  with  the  intention  of  revenging  it  upon 
them.  They  soon  passed  near  a  little  marshy  spot, 
into  which  we  suddenly  threw  three  large  stones,  so  as 
to  cover  their  black  gowns  with  muddy  stains.  They 
looked  round,  and  there  was  nobody  to  be  seen  but 
ourselves.  Then  the  one  who  had  not  before  spoken 
said  humbly  to  his  companion : 

"  Let  us  bear  it  for  the  love  of  Jesus." 

At  this  I  was  touched,  and  said  to  my  friends,  "  We 
have  been  wrong.  Perhaps  there  are  some  good  per- 
sons even  among  the  Jesuits." 

"Very  good,  indeed,"  replied  one  of  my  friends, 
with  a  sneer.     "  But  good  Jesuits  I " 

He  had  scarcely  uttered  these  words,  when  a  patrol 
of  four  papal  shirri,  coming  from  a  side  street,  en- 
tered the  ground  of  the  Forum  near  us. 

"  Take  those  three  scoundrels  to  prison !  "  my  good 
Jesuit  cried  out,  angrily,  and  with  a  solemn  tone  of 
command ;  and  the  four  shirri  hastened  to  obey. 

I  confess  it  was  not  the  first  mischief  that  my  friends 
and  I  had  committed,  nor  was  that  the  first  'attempt 
of  the  papal  sbirri  to  catch  us :  so  that  we  were  not 
taken  by  panic  or  surprise,  and  fled  quickly  in  differ- 
ent directions,  to  scatter  our  pursuers.  One  of  my 
5 


50  THE  EOMAN  EXILE. 

friends  entered  the  temple  of  Antoninus  and  Faustina, 
now  a  church,  which  was  very  near,  and,  shutting  the 
door  behind  him,  went  out  by  the  opposite  door,  and 
escaped.  The  other  also  escaped  easily  by  climbing 
up  behind  a  carriage  which  happened  to  be  passing. 
As  for  myself,  I  had  taken  the  straight  course  leading 
to  the  Coliseum,  a  very  fine  hiding-place ;  but  I  had 
hardly  reached  the  arch  of  Titus  when  I  felt  on  my 
shoulder  the  hand  of  my  pursuer,  endeavoring  to 
catch  me.  I  made  a  sudden  movement  to  the  right, 
and,  before  he  could  stop  and  turn  back  in  order  to 
follow  me  in  my  new  direction,  I  was  already  far  from 
him,  on  the  ascending  path  which  leads  to  the  garden 
on  the  summit  of  the  Palatine  hill.  The  door  of  the 
garden  was  shut;  but  I  easily  scaled  the  wall,  and, 
while  my  pursuer  sought  for  regular  admittance,  I 
went  to  hide  myself  in  the  subterranean  remains  of 
the  famous  Palace  of  the  Caesars,  with  which  I  was 
very  well  acquainted.  Those  remains,  now  entirely 
covered  by  rubbish  on  the  north  and  east  parts  of  the 
hill,  where  the  garden  is,  are  less  encumbered  on  the 
south  and  west  hill-sides.  They  present  many  spacious 
rooms,  which  were  concealed  and  saved  by  the  ruins 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  palace,  when  it  was  destroyed 
by  the  Vandals  in  the  fifth  century.  In  one  of  these 
rooms,  supposed  to  be  the  private  bathing-room  of 
Nero's  "  Domus  Aurea,"  was  found  the  famous  group 
of  Laocoon  and  his  sons,  destroyed  by  serpents,  which 
is  the  most  remarkable  sculpture  in  the  Vatican  Mu- 
seum. I  went  down  there  by  an  ancient  staircase, 
imperfectly  cleared  from  rubbish,  and  entirely  covered 
by  vines.  The  vault  of  the  room  in  which  I  had  taken 
refuge  had  partially  fallen  down,  opening  a  hole, 
through  which  some  of  the  rubbish  from  above  had 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  51 

fallen,  forming  a  kind  of  well  from  the  upper  ground. 
It  was  through  that  well  that  I  heard  the  gardener 
saying,  "  If  you  want  to  go  down  to  seek  for  him,  I 
will  give  you  a  lamp ;  "  and  the  papal  shir  to  replying, 
"  Let  me  watch  here,  —  he  must  come  out,  no  doubt." 

In  fact,  the  papal  sbirri  are  not  remarkable  for  their 
courage,  and,  above  all,  they  are  exceedingly  afraid 
of  going  into  subterranean  places,  because  there  are 
occasionally  in  such  places  certain  persons,  outlaws, 
who  would  not  like  to  have  them  go  out  again  and 
betray  their  retreat.  However,  I  thought  it  prudent 
to  conceal  myself  in  a  more  interior  part ;  and  then  I 
descended  a  staircase  leading  to  a  floor  below,  which 
circumstance  I  did  not  recollect  when  afterwards  I 
tried  to  get  out  from  my  hiding-place.  So  that  I  found 
myself  lost  in  that  dark  labyrinth. 

My  movements  through  the  place  roused  a  crowd 
of  bats,  owls,  rats,  reptiles,  and  other  animals,  some  of 
which  occasionally  expressed  their  dissatisfaction  at 
my  intrusion  among  them.  This,  and  the  mephitic 
smell  of  that  damp  place,  showed  to  me  that  a  night 
spent  there  would  be  rather  unpleasant;  but,  what 
troubled  me  most  of  all,  was  the  thought  of  the 
anguish  of  my  dear  mother  on  discovering  that  I  was 
missing  that  night. 

But  lo  !  a  tremendous  sound,  repeated  by  the  numer- 
ous and  powerful  echoes  of  those  subterranean  regions, 
came  to  revive  my  courage.  In  fact,  I  perceived  im- 
mediately that  this  noise  was  the  effect  of  the  ordinary 
ringing  of  the  bells  of  the  churches  at  the  close  of  the 
first  hour  after  sunset.  The  heavy,  slow-measured 
strokes  of  the  largest  bell  of  St.  Peter  were  the  most 
distinct;  and,  taking  the  direction  from  which  their 
sound  reached  me,  I  was  led  into  a  narrow  passage 


52  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

where  a  faint  ray  of  the  moon  found  its  way.  In 
short,  I  was  again  in  the  open  air ;  and,  by  scaling  a 
small  wall  on  the  west  side  of  the  hill,  I  found  myself 
in  the  public  road  called  "  De  Cerchi,"  near  to  the 
Yelabro. 

It  is  in  that  place  that  capital  punishment  is  exe- 
cuted; and  the  first  object  I  saw  by  the  moonlight 
was  a  scaffold,  with  a  guillotine  covered  with  fresh 
blood.  In  fact,  a  young  man  had  been  executed  that 
day,  and  the  execution  had  been  delayed  till  towards 
dusk,  because  the  patient  refused  to  confess.  Looking 
towards  the  next  chapel  of  "  S.  Giovanni  Decollate  '' 
(St.  John  beheaded),  I  saw  there  the  corpse,  placed 
on  its  back  on  the  floor,  with  the  feet  towards  the 
door,  and  the  head  upon  the  chest.  Behind  it  were 
two  men,  having  their  heads  and  bodies  enveloped  in 
the  sack-cloak  of  the  ancient  "  brotherhood  of  death  " 
(compagnia  della  morte),  which,  by  its  institute,  con- 
stantly sends  some  brothers  to  accompany  the  victim 
to  the  scaffold,  and  then  to  take  care  of  the  corpse. 
A  feeble  lamp  placed  at  the  feet  of  the  corpse  reflected 
its  trembling  light  on  that  Kfeless  face,  and  cast  only 
some  dubious  rays  upon  the  two  attendants,  whose 
life  was  betrayed  only  by  the  movement  of  their 
sparkling  eyes  shining  in  the  darkness  through  the 
holes  of  their  cowls. 

This  spectacle  made  a  solemn  impression  upon  me, 
inasmuch  as  I  had  just  now  got  out  from  a  bad  scrape  ; 
and,  in  spite  of  myself,  there  came  obstinately  to  my 
mind  the  sad  augury  uttered  some  years  before  by 
the  curate,  —  "  to  grow  up  good  for  nothing  but  the 
jailer  or  the  executioner." 

I  went  home  directly  and  shut  myself  up  in  my 
room,  indulging  sad  reflections.     I  had  then  some  very 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  53 

painful  moments,  after  which,  kneeling  down  to  say 
my  evening  prayers  before  going  to  bed,  I  felt  a  deep 
emotion,  my  conscience  reproaching  me  with  bad  con- 
duct. Then  I  fervently  implored  God  to  restore  my 
peace  of  mind,  promising  to  give  up  my  mischievous 
friends  and  reform  my  conduct ;  which,  in  fact,  I  really 
did. 

5* 


CHAPTER    YIII. 

MY   ELDEST    SISTER. 

Among  the  family  guests  who  attended  the  ceremo- 
nial dinner  when  I  was  given  the  pretexta,  there  was 
my  eldest  sister  Silvia,  who  had  with  her  an  accession 
of  a  husband,  and  a  child  only  two  months  old.  She 
was  only  twenty-two  months  older  than  myself,  and, 
notwithstanding  this,  she  was  there  in  the  serious  posi- 
tion of  a  wife  and  a  mother,  to  witness  my  formal  pas- 
sage from  boyhood  to  youth.  The  instance  of  a 
mother  not  quite  sixteen  years  old  is  not  a  rare  one 
in  the  south  of  Italy.  Both  our  physical  and  moral 
life  develop  early  in  that  mild  climate,  and  amidst 
the  frequent  sensations  produced  by  the  enrapturing 
beauty  of  nature  and  of  the  fine  arts.  My  sister,  when 
fourteen,  was  a  grown-up  young  lady,  and,  finding  that 
our  house  was  too  crowded,  she  accepted  the  hand  of 
a  gentleman  who  was  nineteen,  and  an  orphan. 

This  young  couple  loved  each  other  with  the  warmth 
of  a  first  love  in  Italian  hearts.  This  was  a  sufficient 
reason  for  them  to  accept  the  great  responsibility  of 
parents,  at  such  an  early  period  of  their  life.  My 
father  opposed,  at  first,  the  conclusion  of  that  mar- 
riage; but  my  sister  grew  melancholy  for  this,  and 
then  a  sentimental  paleness  began  to  discolor  her  rosy 
cheeks.   My  mother  was  alarmed  lest  her  darling  daugh- 

(54) 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  55 

ter  should  fall  sick.  At  this  my  father  summoned  a 
family  council,  composed  of  relatives  on  both  sides  of 
the  two  lovers,  who  were  not  admitted  to  plead  their 
cause.  The  decision,  however,  resulted  in  their  favor. 
A  few  days  after  a  public  notary  was  summoned  to 
our  house,  in  order  to  make  a  public  deed,  concerning 
the  assignment  of  a  convenient  dowry  made  by  my 
father,  and  the  sponscdij  that  is  to  say  the  engagement, 
of  the  young  couple.  My  sister  was  not  present  at 
this  act  in  which  she  was  so  much  concerned;  my 
father  gave  the  consent,  and  subscribed,  instead  of  her, 
according  to  our  customs. 

Now  the  matter  was  to  be  arranged  with  the 
church,  because  matrimony  under  the  papal  dominion 
is  not  a  contract,  but  merely  a  sacrament  to  be  admin- 
istered in  a  sacramental  manner  by  the  curate.  The 
bridegroom  went  to  our  curate,  and  informed  him  of 
his  intention  of  marrying  my  sister.  The  curate 
wrote  down  this  declaration  on  a  large  sheet  of  paper, 
in  which  he  enclosed  the  documents  exhibited  by  the 
young  man.  These  were  the  proofs  of  having  re- 
ceived the  sacraments  of  baptism  and  confirmation, 
of  being  in  communion  with  the  papal  church,  of  hav- 
ing not  been  ordained  a  priest  nor  a  friar.  The  curate 
appointed  the  following  morning  for  a  similar  inter- 
view with  the  bride.  My  sister  went  to  the  curate, 
attended  by  my  mother  and  myself;  but  he  desired 
her  to  enter  alone  into  his  study,  in  order  to  comply 
with  the  law  prescribing  that  both  the  spouses  should 
manifest  their  consent  to  the  curate  separately,  and 
without  the  presence  of  influential  persons.  She, 
young,  timid,  and  excessively  reserved,  felt  a  great 
instinctive  repugnance  to  follow  that  ugly  friar:  he 
was  the  same  one  who,  two  years  before,  called  at  our 


5Q  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

house  in  order  to  compel  me  to  go  to  confession. 
He  perceived  her  difficulty,  and  allowed  me  to  be 
with  her,  for,  at  twelve  years  of  age,  I  could  not  be 
regarded  as  an  influential  person. 

The  next  Sunday  the  curate,  as  he  said  mass,  inter- 
rupted the  service,  soon  after  having  read  the  Latin 
selection  from  the  gospel,  and  gave  notice  to  the 
people  of  the  projected  marriage,  warning  every  one, 
who  knew  any  reason  why  it  could  not  be  lawfully 
performed,  to  denounce  it  secretly  to  the  ecclesiastical 
authority.  This  notice  was  given  again  and  again,  on 
the  two  following  Sundays,  and  afterwards  the  curate 
appointed  a  day  for  the  performance  of  the  matrimo- 
nial ceremony.  The  bride  was  clad  in  a  new  white 
dress ;  a  long  white  veil  was  placed  upon  her  head, 
and  fixed  there  by  a  crown  of  white  roses.  She, 
blushing  modestly,  proceeded,  with  her  eyes  cast 
down,  and  taking  the  arm  of  her  spouse,  who,  fash- 
ionably dressed,  walked  erect  in  a  bold  and  trium- 
phant manner.  They  were  followed  to  the  church  by 
a  long  procession  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  rel- 
atives and  the  intimate  friends  on  both  sides.  The 
church  was  crowded  by  curious  spectators. 

The  spouses  went  directly  to  the  confessional, 
where  the  curate  waited  for  them,  and,  after  having 
separately  made  their  confession,  they  went  to  kneel 
on  the  stool-desk  prepared  for  them  in  front  of  the 
principal  altar :  there  the  curate  came  to  say  the  mass, 
during  which  he  administered  to  them  the  communion. 
The  curate  was  over  with  the  mass  in  twenty  minutes, 
and  then  he  put  on  a  rich  cope,  took  a  silver  asjper- 
soire,  and  sprinkled  the  wedding  couple  with  ^'  holy 
water."  After  this  the  curate  interrogated  first  the 
bride,  and  then  the  bridegroom,  if  they  wished  to  be 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  57 

married.  Their  positive  answers  were  registered  in 
the  parish  book,  and  two  gentlemen,  summoned  as 
special  witnesses,  signed  their  names  also.  The  bride- 
groom took  from  his  pocket  a  ring,  upon  which  the 
curate  poured  thrice  his  benedictions  and  the  "  holy 
water,"  with  many  mysterious  gestures.  Finally,  the 
bridegrooni  put  the  ring  upon  the  ring-finger  of  the 
right  hand  of  the  bride,  and  grasped  it,  while  the 
curate,  holding  their  united  hands,  uttered  the  Latin 
formula,  "  Ego  conjungo  vos  in  matrimonium  in  nom- 
ine Fatris,  Fill,  et  Spiritus  sancti,  —  amen/^  and  all 
was  over.  A  simple  refreshment  was  served  at  our 
house,  and  afterwards  my  sister  went  to  her  new 
home. 

My  sister  was  a  pattern  of  the  most  common  fem- 
inine beauty  in  Italy ;  tall  and  slender,  with  fine  white 
complexion,  fine  black  hair,  black  sparkling  eyes, 
arched  by  thick  dark  eyebrows,  and  then  a  spa- 
cious forehead,  from  which  descended  a  well  profiled 
nose ;  rather  thick  lips,  and  fine  white  teeth.  But  her 
education  was  still  very  imperfect,  owing  to  her 
youth,  and  to  the  difiiculty  of  procuring  a  good  female 
education  in  a  country  oppressed  by  both  political 
and  religious  despotism.  Besides,  she  was  a  timid, 
simple-hearted,  and  inexperienced  girl,  wanting  some 
one  to  take  care  of  her,  to  guide,  and  to  support  her. 
Taken  away  weeping  from  the  arm  of  her  mother,  to 
which  she  used  to  cling,  she  took  the  arm  of  her 
young  husband  with  a  feeling  of  dependence  upon 
him  as  a  protector  and  a  faithful  guide  through  the 
new  world  which  she  was  entering.  All  this  gave  her 
a  greater  attraction  in  the  eyes  of  her  lover,  who  used 
to  say  that  she  was  an  ideal  of  a  bride.  In  another 
country  perhaps  she  would  have  been  regarded  as  a 


58  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

good  young  girl,  to  be  sent  to  school  for  the  next  six 
years,  before  thinking  of  a  wedding ;  but  in  Italy  they 
have  peculiar  ideas  on  this  subject. 

Generally  the  Italians  are  great  admirers  of  a 
woman  of  talent  and  learning,  and  she  will  be  entitled 
to  more  regard  in  Italy  than  elsewhere ;  but,  when 
they  have  to  choose  a  companion  for  life,  talent  and 
learning  will  have  no  attraction  for  them :  they  will 
look  for  a  simple  soul,  for  a  tender  heart  preserved 
from  previous  impressions,  and  for  a  character  still 
indefinite,  and  to  be  moulded  by  the  husband.  Per- 
sonal chastity  has  no  value  for  an  Italian  if  there  is 
not  a  virgin  soul,  pure  from  the  contamination  of  the 
world,  —  like  a  crystal,  kept  from  every  vaporous 
breathing.  So  that  an  Italian  young  lady  has  a  much 
better  chance  of  finding  a  partner  when  she  is  a  sim- 
ple, untaught  girl,  than  when  endowed  with  all  the 
accomplishments  of  a  later  age.  The  Italian  girls 
instinctively  understand  this,  and  consequently  they 
feel  anxious  to  be  married  as  early  as  possible. 

The  condition  of  an  Italian  girl,  whose  twentieth 
year  has  passed  away  without  affording  any  prospect 
of  marriage,  is  a  melancholy  one.  She  begins  to  be 
designated  by  the  unceremonious  title  of  zitellonaj 
"  old  maid;  "  her  beauty  rapidly  fades  away ;  her  tem- 
per grows  dark  and  irritable ;  and  she  remains  en- 
slaved by  many  petty  ties  and  exigencies  in  the 
paternal  house,  or  takes  a  gloomy  refuge  in  a  convent; 
for  numberless  restraints  are  imposed  upon  unmarried 
women,  while  a  married  lady  is  even  too  free  in  Italy. 

All  these  circumstances  sometimes  bring  forth  un- 
happy marriages  in  Italy ;  because  a  girl  too  young, 
and  anxious  of  having  a  husband,  will  sometimes 
accept    a  hand  unworthy   of  her,  inasmuch  as   the 


THE   KOMAN  EXILE.  59 

chances  of  marriage  are  made  rare  on  account  of 
so  many  young  men  condemned  to  celibacy  by  the 
priestly,  monkish,  and  military  systems.  But  in  these 
cases  an  Italian  wife  will  suffer  in  silence  and  with 
heroic  virtue  her  domestic  griefs,  which  will  seem 
more  tolerable  to  her  if  concealed  in  her  house.  For- 
eigners have  been  for  a  long  time  in  the  habit  of 
charging  the  Italian  women  with  loose  morals,  and  they 
will  continue  to  bring  these  charges,  notwithstanding 
there  is  no  foundation  for  them.  A  profligate  court 
in  France  produced  there  an  almost  general  havoc  of 
the  public  morals.  Seven  courts  in  Italy,  including 
the  most  profligate  of  all,  that  of  the  pope,  must 
necessarily  have  some  bad  influence.  The  auricular 
confession,  too,  and  the  existence  of  so  many  friars 
and  priests,  are  dreadful  means  for  the  corruption  of 
morals. 

The  opposition,  however,  of  the  Italians  against  the 
pope  and  the  other  petty  tyrants  has  exercised  a  good 
influence  on  their  morals.  It  has  been  wisely  said 
that  in  a  monarchy  the  vices  of  the  rulers  descend  to 
corrupt  the  people,  while  in  a  repubhc  the  virtue 
which  exists  constantly  in  the  large  masses  constrains 
the  candidates  for  the  ofiices  of  the  government  to  be 
virtuous.  Now,  the  real  power  in  Italy  resides  in  the 
people,  because  the  rulers  are  foreigners,  or  supported 
by  foreigners.  It  explains  why  the  corrupting  influ- 
ence of  the  courts  has  no  power  in  Italy  at  present. 

Now  my  sister,  though  marrying  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, had  fortunately  placed  her  affections  on  a  man 
perfectly  worthy  of  her ;  and,  being  both  young,  they 
were  able  reciprocally  to  mould  their  characters  in  a 
satisfactory  manner.  I  confess,  however,  that  having 
not  seen  my  sister  since  the  day  of  her  wedding  (for 


60  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

she  lived  in  a  neighboring  town),  I  could  hardly  realize 
now  that  the  little  thing  which  she  brought  in  her 
arms  was  not  the  same  doll  with  which  she  used  to 
play  a  short  time  before.  But  the  child  seemed  to  be 
anxious  to  give  notice  of  himself,  showing  an  exuber- 
ant spirit  of  life.  I  remember  constantly,  with  great 
interest,  that  little  sprightly  child,  because,  only  thir- 
teen years  after,  he  shared  with  me  the  dangers  and 
the  fatigues  of  the  siege  of  Rome  in  1849. 

My  sister  had  brought  her  child  to  Rome  because 
she  wished  me  to  be  the  sponsor  for  him  at  the  bap- 
tism, which  she  had  purposely  delayed.  I  had  never 
witnessed  the  ceremony  of  baptizing  a  child,  because 
generally  they  perform  it  almost  privately,  in  a  room 
or  chapel  appropriated  to  that  use,  at  any  time  that 
a  child  is  brought  there.  My  mother  warned  me  that 
I  must  take  care  not  to  burst  into  a  laugh  during 
the  ceremony,  and  I  felt  quite  confident  of  being  able 
to  exhibit  a  serious  countenance,  inasmuch  as  it  was 
the  second  day  since  I  took  the  pretexta.  The  hattis- 
tero,  that  is,  the  room  of  the  baptismal  font,  was  small, 
but  beautiful.  The  wall  opposite  to  the  entrance  was 
occupied  by  a  fine  fresco  representing  John  the  Bap- 
tist with  an  oyster-shell  in  his  hand  pouring  water 
upon  the  head  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  stood  half  im- 
mersed in  the  water.  In  the  middle  of  the  room  was 
a  graceful  marble  fountain  covered  by  a  high  wooden 
cone,  which  being  removed,  I  saw  the  basin,  containing 
about  a  gallon  of  a  certain  mixture  of  water,  salt,  and 
two  diflPerent  kinds  of  sacred  oils;  it  must  be  pre- 
pared each  year  on  the  "  holy  Saturday,"  that  is,  the 
day  before  Easter  Sunday,  and  it  takes  five  hours  ^* 
perform  all  the  ceremonies  which  are  required  by  this' 
^^  ceremoniale  romanum/^  in  order  to  make  a  good 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  61 

water  for  baptism.  •  John  the  Baptist  and  the  apostles 
thought  that  the  simple  water  of  a  stream  would 
bring  about  the  elQfect,  but  the  popes  since  that  epoch 
have  improved  everything,  according  to  their  infallible 
wisdom. 

The  ceremony  began  by  exorcizing  the  child,  in 
order  to  drive  away  from  him  the  evil  one.  The  cu- 
rate then  interrogated  him  in  bad  Latin,  "Abronuntias 
Satanass?^'  (Do  you  give  up  Satan?)  and  I  was 
directed  to  answer  for  the  child,  '^Ahrommtio^^  (I 
give  him  up).  Then  the  curate  said,  "  Accipe  salem 
sapientice^^  (Take  the  salt  of  wisdom),  and  freely  poured 
soda-salt  into  the  mouth  of  the  babe.  He  was  tightly 
wrapped  in  his  swaddling-clothes,  but  the  bitter  im- 
pression of  the  salt  in  his  mouth,  used  only  to  sweet 
milk,  made  him  cough  convulsively,  during  which  he 
disengaged  his  little  right  arm,  and  began  to  use  it 
freely  against  the  face  of  the  curate.  But  the  friar 
did  not  mind  this,  and  coolly  continued  his  perform- 
ance, by  breathing  thrice  into  the  mouth  of  the  child, 
whose  face  he  then  moistened  with  his  saliva.  At  this 
filthy  operation  I  could  not  restrain  a  laugh.  The 
curate  turned  angrily  to  me  and  severely  scolded  me, 
observing  that  there  was  great  danger  that  the  child 
would  grow  up  a  fool  in  consequence  of  my  foolish 
laughing  during  the  sacred  ceremony. 

After  this  the  curate,  putting  his  finger  into  a  little 
vase  of  sacred  oil,  made  with.it  a  cross  on  the  fore- 
^liead  of  the%abe,  and  then,  with  oil  taken  from  another 
N^ase,  made  a  s^econd  cross  on  his  shoulders,  and  a  third 
cross  on  his  breast.  Now  the  curate  handed  the  child 
to  me,  directing  me  to  hold  his  little  head  in  suspense 
above  the  fountain,  while  he,  taking  the  liquid  of  it, 
poured  it  three  times  on  the  head  of  the  babe,  saying, 
6 


62  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

"  Ccdliste,  ego  te  baptizo  in  nomine  Fatris,  Filly  et  Spiri- 
tus  sancti,  — amenJ^  I  thought  that  all  was  over  now  ; 
but  the  curate,  handing  me  the  extremity  of  his  white 
stole,  said,  "  Accijpe  stolam  candidam  quam  immacula- 
tam  per/eras  ante  tribunal  DominV^  (Receive  the  white 
stole,  to  be  brought  spotless  before  the  tribunal  of  the 
Lord) ;  and  then  he  walked  towards  an  altar,  I  follow- 
ing him  like  a  blind  man. 

"Kneel  down,"  said  the  curate,  "and  recite  the  credo^^ 
(creed).  I  obeyed;  but  the  curate  pretended  that  my 
creed  was  not  good,  because  it  was  a  little  different 
from  the  formula  given  by  the  Jesuit  Bellarmino,  and 
charged  me  with  ignorance  of  the  Christian  doctrine. 
But  I  knew  by  heart  the  Latin  formula  of  the  creed  as 
they  read  it  during  the  mass.  I  proudly  recited  that 
creed,  and  cut  short  the  dispute. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MY  JOURNEY  TO   RAVENNA. 

As  the  re-opening  of  the  public  schools  was  at 
hand,  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1836,  my  father  one  morn- 
ing took  me  into  his  study,  and,  handing  to  me»a  small 
package,  said :  '^  Here  is  some  money  for  your  journey 
to  Ravenna,  and  a  note  to  the  farmer  who  rents  my 
small  estate  near  that  city.  He  will  give  you  twelve 
dollars  every  month;  that  must  be  sufficient  for  all 
your  wants ;  if  it  is  not,  so  much  the  worse  for  you, 
because  you  will  not  obtain  a  haiocco  more.  Proceed, 
then,  to  Ravenna,  attend  the  school  there,  and  let  your 
parents  have  reason  to  rejoice  at  your  good  behavior 
and  success." 

I  knew,  of  course,  the  geographical  position  of 
Ravenna,  it  being  a  remarkable  city  in  Italian  his- 
tory ;  but  to  find  the  means  of  getting  there  in  the 
most  direct  and  economical  way,  was  not  an  easy 
problem  for  an  untravelled  youth.  The  distance  was 
no  more  than  240  miles  north-east  of  Rome ;  but,  the 
country  being  ruled  over  by  the  pope,  the  railroads 
had  been  rigorously  proscribed  as  an  invention  en- 
dangering the  interests  of  the  papal  church.  Besides, 
the  pope  himself  monopolized  the  slow  and  uncom- 
fortable means  of  conveyance  which  the  passengers 
are  allowed  to  use,  namely,  the  pontijicie  diligenzey 

(63) 


64  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

corrieri  and  vdociferi.  Their  terms  were  too  high  for 
me,  and,  besides,  no  one  of  them  passed  through  Ra- 
venna. But  I  discovered  that  there  were  some  pri- 
vate vetturino  allowed,  under  many  restrictions,  how- 
ever, to  convey  passengers ;  and  I  easily  so  arranged 
the  matter  as  to  be  brought  to  Rimini,  only  twenty 
miles  from  Ravenna,  in  six  days  and  a  half,  provided 
the  weather  should  be  good.  My  lodging  and  meals 
during  the  journey  were  to  be  supplied  by  the  vettu- 
rino at  his  own  expense.  For  all  this  I  was  to  give 
him  only  seven  dollars,  with  an  addition  of  fifty  cents 
if  I  were  satisfied  with  the  treatment. 

We  were  six  in  the  carriage  ;  but  my  fellow-travel- 
lers were  all  foreigners,  and  I  had  only  the  vetturino 
to  converse  with.  Fortunately  he  was  an  intelligent 
and  warm-hearted  young  man,  and  we  were  soon 
friends.  He  gave  me  occasionally  some  lessons  in 
driving  skilfully,  and  besides  told  me  all  the  names, 
stories,  and  traditions  of  all  the  places  which  we 
passed.  He  was  also  a  fine  singer,  and  knew  by  heart 
the  sweetest  songs  of  love,  as  well  as  the  most  forbid- 
den patriotic  hymns.  We  sang  very  often  together  ; 
and,  when  passing  through  the  frequented  roads,  our 
songs  were  of  a  light  character,  as  "  La  Biondina  in 
gondoletta/^  ''Erminia  tra  Vombrose  yianttj''  <fec.;  but, 
when  travelling  through  solitary  mountains,  we  freely 
gave  vent  to  exciting  political  songs,  as  ^^ Sotto  i  pioppi 
della  BoraJ''  ^^Suona  la  tromha  e  intrepidop  &c. 

On  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  of  our  journey  we 
arrived  at  the  Furlo,  This  is  a  narrow  passage  be- 
tween two  high,  escarped,  rocky  mountains,  formed  in 
part,  and  entirely  occupied  at  the  bottom,  by  a  furious 
torrent,  throwing  its  waters  into  the  Adriatic  Sea. 
The  road  was  cut  in  the  rock  a  little  above  the  water, 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  65 

and  at  a  point  where  the  mountain  was  exactly  per- 
pendicular on  both  sides,  a  short  gallery  was  opened 
through  the  rocks.  It  was  with  deep  emotion  that 
I  rode  through  that  historical  passage,  for  I  knew 
that  it  was  there  that  was  fought  the  battle  which 
entirely  restored  the  Roman  fortunes,  and  proved  fatal 
to  the  Carthaginians  in  Italy.  They  were  guided  by 
Hasdrubal,  and  were  coming  to  help  Hannibal,  weak- 
ened by  "  the  delights  of  Capua."  The  consul,  Livius 
Salinator,  then  commanding  on  the  north  of  Italy,  had 
not  troops  enough  to  prevent  the  passage  of  that  pow- 
erful army.  But  the  other  consul,  Claudius  Nero,  who 
was  in  front  of  Hannibal  on  the  south,  made  secretly 
a  rash  and  rapid  movement  with  the  best  of  his  sol- 
diers to  help  his  colleague. 

The  Carthaginian  general  occupied  the  heights  of 
those  mountains  J  but  the  Romans,  by  cutting  that 
road  and  gallery  with  wonderful  celerity,  effected  the 
union  of  their  armies,  and  then,  making  a  powerful 
assault  behind  the  military  lines  of  the  African  general, 
defeated  him  completely.  All  this  was  done  with  such 
secrecy  and  celerity  that  Hannibal  had  the  first  inti- 
mation of  what  had  occurred  from  the  consul  Clau- 
dius Nero  himself;  he,  coming  back  to  his  encamp- 
ment, caused  the  head  of  Hasdrubal  to  be  thrown 
into  the  camp  of  Hannibal,  who  then  uttered  the 
famous  words,  Agnosco  fortunam  CartaginiSj  "  I  fore- 
see the  fate  of  Carthage." 

We  safely  arrived  at  Rimini,  the  ancient  Ariminum, 
on  the  morning  of  the  seventh  day  since  we  left  Rome. 
Six  hours  and  a  half  would  have  brought  us  there  if 
there  were  a  railroad.  I  had  been  formerly  in  Rimini 
when  only  nine  years  old ;  but  I  preserved  some  dis- 
tinct recollections  of  the  city.  The  magnificent  arch 
6* 


66  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

which  the  senate  and  the  people  of  Ariminum  erected 
to  Julius  Cgesar,  the  conqueror  of  the  Gauls,  stood 
before  me  as  I  entered  the  gate,  and  I  looked  upon 
it  with  excited  feelings,  owing  to  the  historical  recol- 
lections associated  with  the  name  of  that  hero,  who 
afterwards  crossed  the  Rubicon  a  few  rods  behind 
that  arch. 

A  few  steps  distant  from  the  ancient  arch  there  was 
a  comparatively  modern  building,  highly  interesting  to 
a  reader  and  admirer  of  Dante,  —  I  mean  the  palace 
of  Malatesta,  with  its  bridal-room,  where  Francesca 
da  Rimini  and  her  brother-in-law  were  slain. 

The  walls  of  Rimini  on  the  northern  side  are  washed 
by  the  river  Marecchia,  and  there  Caesar  Augustus 
erected  a  remarkable  bridge,  which  was  the  head  of 
both  via  Flaminia  and  via  Emilia.  The  bridge  was 
made  of  marble  stones,  without  any  cement,  and,  after 
nineteen  centuries,  needs  no  repair ;  nay,  it  seems  to 
challenge  all  future  ages.  All  the  ancient  Roman 
works  prove  that  they  had  the  firm  conviction  that 
there  would  not  be  an  end  for  their  descendants. 
Occupied  by  this  thought,  I  paced  up  and  down  the 
bridge,  when  by  chance  I  observed  and  recognized 
a  lofty  terrace  near  the  gate  opening  on  the  bridge, 
from  which  terrace  I,  ^yq  years  before,  witnessed,  with 
great  danger,  the  storming  of  the  bridge  by  an  Aus- 
trian army.  They  were  twice  driven  back  from  the 
bridge  by  the  citizens.  A  young  general,  mounted 
on  a  splendid  horse,  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  third 
column  in  order  to  repeat  the  attack :  he  was  struck  at 
once  by  many  shots,  and  fell  upon  the  edge  of  the 
bridge,  and  then  into  the  water.  He  was  the  young 
Prince  of  Lichtenstein. 

These  dreadful  events  had  been  so  deeply  impressed 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  67 

in  my  tender  mind,  that  their  images  vividly  excited 
my  imagination,  inasmuch  as  the  city  was  still  garri- 
soned by  those  hated  Austrians.  But  I  could  not 
help  a  sentiment  of  compassion  for  that  courageous 
young  general.  He,  in  the  prime  of  life,  handsome, 
accomplished,  rich,  and  beloved  in  his  country,  came 
to  die  in  a  foreign  land,  amidst  the  ferocious  shouts 
of  a  people  desperately  fighting  for  their  freedom. 
He,  free  and  independent,  had  sold  his  sword  and  his 
blood  to  the  service  of  the  most  dreadful  tyrant  of 
Europe ;  and,  though  a  Protestant,  he  died  for  the  res- 
toration of  the  pope. 

Now  I  engaged  a  seat  in  a  light  wagon  bound  to 
Ravenna,  which  was  only  twenty  miles  north  of  Rimini. 
There  was  an  elderly  gentleman  with  me  in  the  wagon, 
who  proved  to  be  a  very  agreeable  fellow-traveller. 
The  wagon  was  now  stopped  at  the  gate  of  Ravenna 
by  an  Austrian  soldier,  who,  with  his  barbarous  accent, 
bade  me  deliver  my  passport  to  the  custom-house 
officer,  who  gave  me  a  ticket  by  which  I  was  directed 
to  call  at  the  police-office  within  twenty-four  hours ; 
and  then  the  officer  asked  of  me,  "  Where  are  you 
going  to  stay  ?  "  My  reply  was  that  I  had  never  been 
before  in  Ravenna,  and  did  not  know  any  person  or 
place  there.  But  the  officer,  in  his  rough  manner, 
insisted  upon  the  necessity  of  complying  with  the 
law ;  and  I  should  have  been  much  embarrassed  had 
not  my  fellow-traveller  come  to  my  aid,  saying  that  he 
would  take  me  with  him  to  '^  La  Bella  Emilia  "  (beau- 
tiful Emily).  It  was  not  a  young  lady,  but  a  hotel, 
taking  its  name  from  the  ancient  appellation  of  the 
province  of  Ravenna. 

The  chief  waiter  of  the  hotel  was  a  native  of  Rome, 
and   knew  my  family;    consequently  he  treated  me 


68  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

exceedingly  well;  and,  after  I  had  supped,  he  took 
me  to  a  comfortable  bed-room,  informing  me  with 
great  solemnity  that  I  was  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of 
sleeping  in  the  room  of  Lord  Byron.  In  fact,  the- 
famous  English  scholar,  being  in  love  with  the  Count- 
ess Guiccioli,  took  up  his  abode  in  that  hotel,  almost 
opposite  her  palace.  Lord  Byron  lived  a  long  time  in 
Ravenna,  and  his  memory  is  very  popular  there ;  for 
his  manners  were  more  hke  those  of  a  fanciful  Italian 
poet  than  of  a  proud  English  lord.  He  had  intimate 
intercourse  with  the  Italian  patriots,  and  took  part  in 
their  conspiracies.  In  consequence  of  this,  the  order 
for  imprisoning  and  trying  him  was  sent  by  the  pope 
to  the  cardinal  legate  of  Ravenna ;  but  Lord  Byron 
succeeded  in  making  his  escape,  and  went  to  Greece. 


CHAPTER   X. 

MY   FIEST   DIFFICULTIES   IN   RAVENNA. 

I  ROSE  early  on  the  following  morning,  and,  leaving 
my  Byronian  room,  procured  a  guide-book  and  a  map 
of  the  city,  in  order  to  proceed  to  my  business  with 
no  loss  of  time.  First  of  all  I  went  to  the  school 
building,  called  "  Collegio,"  to  inquire  at  what  hour  I 
should  find  the  office  open  for  the  reception  of  new 
daily  pupils.  I  was  told,  "Not  before  nine  o'clock;" 
and,  it  being  then  only  seven,  I  thought  I  would  em- 
ploy the  interval  in  paying  a  very  interesting  visit,  of 
which  I  had  thought  a  great  deal,  and  often  dreamed, 
during  the  journey. 

It  was  in  Ravenna  that  Dante,  the  greatest  of  the 
Italians,  breathed  his  last,  and  there  the  bones  of  the 
illustrious  poet  are  preserved,  in  a  small  temple  of 
pagan  fashion,  erected  to  his  memory.  It  was  very 
near  the  "  Collegio ; "  and  soon  I  read  on  the  corners, 
"  Rione  (ward)  Dante,"  and  then,  "  Via  Dante,"  and 
lo  !  the  temple  stood  before  me,  with  its  simple  Latin 
inscription  on  the  architrave,  "  Dantis  Poet^  Sepul- 
CHRUM."  At  the  sight  I  was  seized  with  a  trembhng 
of  reverence  and  confusion.  Was  I  not  unworthy  to 
approach  those  bones,  consecrated  by  genius  ?  What 
had  I  done,  or  tried  to  do,  for  mankind  or  my  native 
country?    And  then,  looking  at  the  stern  face  of  the 

(69) 


70  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

marble  bust  of  the  poet,  I  seemed  to  hear  resounding  in 
the  air  the  dreadful  sentence  against  those  "  Wretched 
who  never  lived,  since  they  lived  without  either  praise 
or  blame :  the  world  preserves  no  memory  of  them ; 
both  mercy  and  justice  despise  them.  Do  not  speak 
of  them ;  only  look,  and  go  on.'^ 

My  enthusiasm  for  Dante  did  not  make  me  forget 
my  important  business :  exactly  at  nine  o'clock  I  was 
at  the  office,  waiting  for  the  "  Rettore  "  of  the  "  Col- 
legio,"  who  soon  made  his  appearance.  I  had  pre- 
pared my  mind  for  an  unpleasant  meeting  with  a  filthy 
friar  or  a  hypocritical  priest;  but  I  was  pleasantly 
disappointed.  The  "  Rettore,"  although  clad  in  a 
priestly  dress,  and  nominally  belonging  to  that  caste, 
was  a  man  of  talent  and  virtue,  whose  easy,  gentle- 
manly manners  accorded  with  the  delicate  feelings  of 
his  heart.  Evidently,  he  had  been  appointed  to  that 
office  through  some  mistake ;  and,  in  fact,  he  was  de- 
prived of  it  some  two  months  after.  The  "  Rettore  " 
treated  me  very  kindly,  and,  enrolling  my  name  among 
the  students,  he  was  very  happy  to  discover  that  I 
was  the  son  of  a  dear  friend  of  his. 

I  rejoiced  very  much  at  my  success ;  and,  thinking 
that  all  difficulties  were  over,  I  felt  anxious  to  go  and 
visit  the  famous  monument  of  Theodoric,  the  king  of 
the  Goths.  Having  on  my  dress-coat,  I  went  back  to 
the  hotel  to  change  it ;  but  had  hardly  reached  the 
door  when  a  piece  of  paper  was  put  into  my  hands, 
requesting  me  to  call  immediately  at  the  office  of  the 
police.  "  The  twenty-four  hours  since  my  arrival  have 
not  yet  passed,"  said  I  to  myself;  "  there  must  then  be 
some  trouble."  I  went  to  the  office,  therefore,  with  a 
trembling  heart. 

The  director  of  police  was  a  ruined  count,  whose 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  71 

name  was  "  Yolpe  "  (fox),  although  he  looked  like  a 
bear.  After  some  trifling  interrogations  he  said  to 
me,  "  Why  did  you  come  here  to  attend  the  public 
schools  ?    Are  there  no  public  schools  in  Eome  ?  " 

"  Because,"  answered  I,  "  it  pleased  me  more  to  at- 
tend the  public  schools  in  Ravenna  than  in  Rome." 

At  this  simple  answer  the  director  of  police  burst 
into  a  fit  of  anger,  and  overwhelmed  me  with  threat- 
ening reproofs  for  having  failed  in  the  respect  due  to 
him.  I  attempted  to  observe  that  I  did  not  mean  any- 
thing disrespectful ;  that  it  was  my  father  who  had 
commanded  me  to  come  there. 

"Ah I  your  father?"  interrupted  the  furious  di- 
rector. "  Then  go  back,  and  tell  him  that  he  is  a  fool, 
because  there  is  a  law,  which  he  ought  to  know,  for- 
bidding the  student  to  attend  the  public  schools,  except 
in  the  province  to  which  he  belongs.  I  allow  you 
twenty-four  hours  to  prepare  for  your  departure ;  and, 
should  you  not  leave,  I  will  send  you  to  Rome  by 
'  corrispondenza.' " 

I  had  not  yet  tried  that  manner  of  travelling,  with 
which,  some  years  after,  I  became  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted by  bitter  experience ;  but  I  had  often  met 
poor-carts,  overloaded  with  ruffians  and  thieves  tied 
in  them,  proceeding  slowly,  and  stopping  every  night 
at  the  jails ;  so  that  I  shuddered  at  the  idea  of  being 
dragged  along  to  Rome  in  that  way,  and  in  such  com- 
pany, and  was  therefore  anxious  to  comply  immedi- 
ately with  the  intimation  I  had  received.  But,  looking 
at  my  pocket-book,  I  found  that  I  had  not  money 
enough  for  a  journey  back  to  Rome.  In  such  a  state 
of  disappointment,  trouble,  and  anxiety,  I  felt  a  bitter 
discouragement,  which,  however,  lasted  only  a  few 
moments. 


72  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

To  divert  my  mind  a  little,  and  think  more  coolly 
of  my  embarrassing  condition,  I  followed  my  former 
project  of  visiting  the  monument  of  Theodoric,  which 
is  only  a  short  distance  from  the  city.  This  monu- 
ment is  an  octagon  marble  temple,  of  correct  Roman 
architecture,  built  without  cement,  and  covered  by 
an  immense  stone,  forming  the  entire  roof.  It  is  the 
largest  and  most  magnificent  monolithic  temple  ex- 
isting. The  great  stone  is  cut  skilfully,  in  imitation 
of  the  roof  of  the  Pantheon  of  Rome,  and  presents 
twelve  bases,  upon  which  formerly  stood  the  statues 
of  the  apostles.  On  the  summit  was  a  large  urn  of 
porphyry ;  but  a  thunderbolt  had  broken  down  the 
urn,  as  well  as  the  statues,  and  divided  the  great  stone 
into  two  pieces,  without  impairing  the  stability  of  the 
building. 

On  returning  to  the  city,  —  occupied,  of  course, 
with  my  sad  thoughts,  —  I  unconsciously  passed  the 
gate  by  which  I  had  gone  out ;  and,  continuing  my 
course  near  the  walls,  I  found  myself  in  front  of 
another  gate,  on  which  I  read  the  name,  "  Porta  Adri- 
ana."  This  recalled  to  my  mind  the  letter  which  my 
father  had  given  me  for  his  farmer,  because  it  had  the 
direction,  "  Three  miles  from  Porta  Adriana."  How 
precious  was  that  discovery  !  The  farmer  would  pay 
me  twelve  dollars  for  the  first  month,  and  this  was 
more  than  enough  for  my  journey.  So  that,  taking 
the  letter  from  my  record-book,  I  started  immediately 
in  that  direction,  and  very  easily  found  the  country- 
seat,  owing  to  the  exact  description  of  it  in  the  letter. 
But  how  amazed  and  gratified  was  I  on  seeing  the 
house,  and  the  old  farmer  coming  to  meet  me  !  It  was 
the  same  country-seat  where  my  father  had  left  me 
five  years  before,  when  we  were  flying  together ;  and 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  73 

the  old  farmer  was  the  same  man  who  had  taken  care 
of  me,  and  restored  me  to  my  mother  in  Rome. 

We  embraced  each  other,  with  deep  emotion,  and 
then  he  said,  "  I  am  very  happy  that  you  are  to  spend 
some  years  in  Ravenna,  as  your  father  told  me  some 
time  ago." 

"  Nay,  say  a  few  hours,"  replied  I ;  "  because  I  have 
been  ordered  to  leave  to-morrow  before  noon,  for  the 
director  of  police  says  there  is  a  law  preventing  me, 
because  born  in  Rome,  from  attending  the  public 
schools  in  Ravenna." 

The  good  old  man  expressed  his  grief  by  violent 
exclamations,  not  forgetting  to  curse  the  police.  "  A 
bad  institution,"  he  said,  totally  unknown  when  he  was 
young,  and  introduced  by  Frenchmen.  At  length, 
assuming  the  air  of  a  man  who  has  found  out  some 
remedy,  he  said  to  me,  "  Look  here ;  I  know  a  gentle- 
man, now  spending  his  vacation  in  this  neighborhood. 
He  is  a  lawyer,  but  not  of  that  kind  who  skin  poor 
people ;  and,  besides,  he  is  a  friend  of  your  father.  Let 
us  go  and  consult  him,  for  I  am  sure  he  will  find  the 
way  to  help  you." 

<^  Let  us  go,"  repeated  I,  catching  at  this  new  hope ; 
and  in  a  few  moments  we  were  at  the  house  of  the 
lawyer.  He  was  not  in ;  but  we  saw  his  wife,  a  lady 
of  great  beauty  and  sweet  manners.  She  was  a 
mother,  and  therefore  I  need  not  say  that  she  felt 
greatly  interested  in  a  boy  far  from  his  home,  alone 
and  in  trouble.  I  had  hardly  finished  the  recital  of 
my  sad  adventure,  when  the  lawyer  entered,  and  was 
eagerly  accosted  by  his  wife,  earnestly  pleading  my 
cause. 

"  The  law  is  really  against  him,"  remarked  the  law- 
yer ;  "  but,  fortunately,  there  is  something  peculiar  in 
7 


74  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

his  case,  because  this  farm  which  his  father  holds  is 
a  primogeniture,  to  which,  as  the  first-born,  he  is  en- 
titled. Besides,  his  father  still  enjoys  the  citizenship 
of  Ravenna,  and  his  sons  participate  in  it  while  they 
remain  under  his  paternal  authority.  So  that  this 
youth  may  lawfully  claim  to  reside  here,  both  as  a 
possessor  of  land  and  of  citizenship." 

"  That  is  well,"  replied  the  lady.  "  But  how  will 
this  poor  boy  be  able  to  make  his  reasons  known  and 
respected?  You  know  the  prolegato  (governor),  and 
a  word  from  you  would  arrange  everything." 

The  lawyer  was  but  little  disposed  to  take  so  much 
trouble  as  to  go  with  me  to  Ravenna,  in  order  to  speak 
to  the  prolegato.  The  lady,  perceiving  this,  did  not 
insist,  wishing  to  avoid  an  explicit  refusal.  Soon  after, 
however,  holding  her  beautiful  child  in  her  arms,  and 
presenting  him,  with  a  sweet  smile,  to  the  caresses  of 
her  husband,  she  spoke  of  me  again,  saying,  "  Poor 
thing !  I  pity  him,  indeed,  —  here  without  his  mother, 
in  trouble  and  alone ;  and,  particularly,  when  I  think 
that  our  dear  child  may  one  day  find  himself  in  such 
a  position." 

Here  she  paused,  and  then  remarked  that  the 
weather  promised  a  very  fine  evening.  The  lawyer 
answered  nothing ;  but  she,  of  course,  knew  well  the 
sound  of  the  key  she  had  touched,  and,  taking  a  ser- 
vant aside,  bade  him  make  ready  the  carriage  for 
Ravenna ;  and,  a  few  moments  after,  I  was  seated  in 
it  with  the  lawyer.  I  should  have  wondered,  indeed, 
if  he  had  not  yielded.  A  young  and  beautiful  wife, 
holding  in  her  arms  a  fine  child,  and  sweetly  pleading, 
would  move  even  such  a  husband  as  Nero. 

On  our  way  to  the  palace  of  the  prolegato,  we 
passed  before  the  hotel  "  La  Bella  Emilia,"  and  I  en- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  75 

tered  to  put  on  my  dress-coat.  It  was  sunset  when 
we  arrived  at  the  palace  of  the  prolegato.  It  is  well 
known,  I  suppose,  that  "legato  a  latere,"  or  legate, 
means  a  cardinal,  whom  the  pope  dispatches  from  his 
side,  to  intrust  him  with  an  important  mission ;  and 
sometimes  a  simple  prelate  is  charged  with  such 
duties,  when  he  takes  the  name  of  prolegato,  that  is, 
vice  legate.  The  governorship  of  Ravenna  was  gen- 
erally given  to  a  cardinal  legate,  but  was  now  filled  by 
a  prelate,  because,  owing  to  the  rebellious  tendencies 
of  that  province,  no  cardinal  wished  to  go  thither. 

A  legate,  or  a  vice  legate,  when  in  his  province, 
is  more  powerful  than  a  proconsul,  and  possesses  the 
absolute  authority  of  a  Turkish  pasha  over  property 
and  life.  The  prelegato  of  Ravenna  was  Monsignor 
Vannicelli,  who  is  actually  a  cardinal,  and  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Ferrara.  It  was  exactly  the  hour  during 
which  he  gave  audience.  We  were  introduced  into 
his  rich  apartments,  passing  through  a  long  suite  of 
magnificent  ante-chambers,  filled  with  soldiers,  ser- 
vants, and  attendants  of  every  kind,  and  profusely 
adorned  with  pictures,  statues,  tapestries,  precious 
stones,  chiselled  metals,  carved  wood,  silk  works,  china 
vases,  and  every  kind  of  luxury ;  but  there  was  nothing 
in  that  regal  pomp  greatly  to  impress  a  native  of  Rome, 
already  accustomed  to  it. 

The  privileged  being  for  whose  residence  that  lux- 
urious palace  was  designed  was  a  little  short  man, 
still  young  and  rather  handsome,  but  of  a  boyish 
beauty,  of  which  he  appeared  to  be  very  proud,  taking 
particular  care  constantly  to  show  his  fine  little  hands, 
and  a  pair  of  feet  as  small  as  his  understanding.  He 
was  born  in  humble  condition,  in  a  small  village  called 


76  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

"  Amelia,"  and  owed  his  position  entirely  to  the  pro- 
tection of  Cardinal  Lambrnschini. 

My  guide,  being  an  acquaintance  of  the  prolegato, 
was  admitted  to  the  honor  of  kissing  his  right  hand, 
while  I  was  obliged  to  kiss  his  gown,  or  the  "  sacred 
lappet,"  as  they  call  it.  My  lawyer  was  a  fine  speaker, 
and  explained  the  object  of  our  visit  very  well ;  nay, 
too  well;  and  thus  the  prelate  understood  nothing,  as 
often  happens  with  ignorant  or  light-headed  persons. 
The  lawyer  perceived  his  fault,  and  was  trying  to 
simplify  the  question,  when  the  prelate,  getting  impa- 
tient, turned  to  me,  saying, 

"  In  short,  what  is  it  you  want  ?  " 

"To  remain  here,  in  order  to  attend  the  public 
schools,"  answered  I,  tendering  to  him  a  paper  con- 
taining my  petition.  At  this,  he  wrote  his  name  upon 
the  paper,  without  taking  the  trouble  of  reading  it, 
and  dismissed  us  entirely  satisfied. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

THE   PUBLIC   SCHOOLS. 

On  the  5th  of  November,  1836,  I  was  carefully 
examined,  to  ascertain  to  what  class  I  was  to  be  admit- 
ted to  hear  the  lectures,  which  were  to  begin  on  the 
13th  of  that  month,  according  to  the  general  custom 
in  Italy.  The  result  was  a  triumphant  one  for  me, 
being  admitted  into  the  second  class  or  year  of  the 
superior  course ;  and  thus  in  two  years  I  should  be 
able  to  go  to  the  university,  and  obtain  my  doctorate 
in  my  twentieth  year, — a  very  uncommon  event.  This 
prospect  encouraged  me  to  earnest  study. 

To  understand  the  advantages  of  my  position  as  a 
student,  it  is  necessary  to  know  something  about  the 
organization  of  the  schools  in  the  Roman  state,  which 
differs  but  little  from  that  of  the  other  states  of  Italy. 
We  have,  then,  the  elementary  schools,  in  which  chil- 
dren are  taught  to  read  and  write,  and  something 
of  grammar,  arithmetic,  and  ancient  history.  Such 
schools  are  maintained  at  the  public  expense,  and  paid 
from  the  municipal  treasury  ;  being  found  alike  in  the 
cities  and  villages,  except  in  a  few  poor  hamlets  in  the 
provinces  nearest  Rome,  which  have  been  longer  under 
the  papal  yoke.  But  country-people  can  hardly  enjoy 
the  advantage  of  those  free  schools,  because  they  live 
in  scattered  houses,  on  the  land  which  they  cultivate. 
7*  (77) 


78  THE   ROMAN    EXILE. 

Next  come  the  superior  schools,  having  a  course  of 
six  years,  divided  into  superior  and  inferior  courses. 
They  comprise  all  the  Italian  and  Latin  branches, 
speculative  and  natural  philosophy,  and  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  jurisprudence.  Some  less  important  cities 
have  only  the  first  part  of  that  course ;  but  the  largest, 
especially  in  the  north,  have  good  schools,  with  the 
complete  course.  Each  city  pays  for  its  own  schools ; 
but  some  are  kept  at  the  expense  of  the  province,  and 
others  have  endowments  of  their  own. 

The  public  schools  of  every  description  are  entirely 
gratuitous.  The  government  gives  not  a  cent  for 
their  support,  but  exercises  a  severe  control  over  the 
directors  and  teachers,  who  are  placed  under  the  im- 
mediate authority  of  the  bishops.  In  that  way  many 
teachers  are  despotically  dismissed,  and  many  pupils 
excluded  from  the  schools.  In  some  places,  those 
schools  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Jesuits,  not- 
withstanding the  constant  and  courageous  opposi- 
tion which  they  meet  everywhere  from  the  munici- 
pal authorities,  and  sometimes  even  from  the  secular 
clergy.  In  Rome  there  is  no  municipal  authority,  it 
having  been  suppressed  by  Sixtus  Y. ;  and,  conse- 
quently, all  the  means  of  public  instruction  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  Jesuits,  except  the  university  called 
"  la  Sapienza  Romana,"  because  that  university,  like 
that  of  Bologna  and  others,  has  its  own  endowments ; 
and,  by  the  law  of  its  foundation,  neither  a  monk  nor 
a  friar  can  be  a  lecturer  there. 

The  school  or  "  Collegio  '^  of  Ravenna  was  one  of 
the  best,  having  learned  and  well-paid  professors,  who 
taught  in  earnest  and  with  good  method.  I  had  to 
attend  three  lessons,  of  two  hours  each,  every  day, 
except  Sundays  and  Thursdays  and  the  frequent  holi- 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  79 

days.  The  first  lesson,  beginning  at  eight  o'clock, 
was  on  the  rudiments  of  logic,  metaphysics,  and  eth- 
ics; the  second  was  on  geometry  and  algebra;  the 
third,  on  Italian  and  Latin  eloquence  and  literature. 
But  between  the  first  and  the  second  lessons  there  was 
an  interval  of  twenty  minutes,  during  which  all  the 
students  were  forced  into  a  magnificent  chapel  to 
hear  the  mass ;  and  there  were  no  means  of  escaping, 
because  all  the  school-rooms  were  placed  around  a 
very  large  square  court,  and  a  sentinel  stood  at  the 
only  door  leading  to  the  street. 

Some  of  the  pupils  chose  that  time  to  take  their 
lunch;  some  played,  talked,  and  laughed,  notwith- 
standing the  exertions  of  an  overseer;  a  very  few 
looked  resigned ;  and  no  one  perhaps  was  able,  at  that 
moment,  to  turn  his  mind  to  rehgious  thoughts.  The 
mass  was  thus  an  occasion  of  scandal  and  punishment. 
As  for  me,  I  did  not  like  it  any  better  than  my  col- 
leagues ;  but,  having  good  reasons  for  carefully  avoid- 
ing the  least  suspicion  about  my  rehgious  feeHngs,  I 
retired  into  a  corner  of  the  chapel,  where  I  looked 
over  my  next  lesson  in  geometry  and  algebra ;  and 
the  overseer  appeared  to  be  entirely  satisfied  with  my 
quiet  conduct.  Somebody,  however,  denounced  me  to 
the  "  Holy  Inquisition,"  for  my  profane  reading  in  a 
consecrated  church  during  mass.  In  fact,  one  even- 
ing,—  it  was  the  23d  cf  June,  —  as  I  went  out  to  see 
the  fireworks  exhibited  in  honor  of  St.  John  the  Bap- 
tist, a  man,  dressed  in  the  pompous  livery  of  the 
archbishop,  told  me  that  his  master  wanted  to  see  me 
immediately.  I  was  not  at  all  acquainted  with  that 
gentleman ;  and  so,  foreseeing  some  trouble,  I  went  to 
his  palace  with  a  trembling  heart. 

There  was  not  in  Ravenna  a  regular  tribunal  of  the 


80  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

"  Holy  Inquisition,"  because  there  were  no  Dominican 
friars  in  that  city.  The  grand  inquisitor  of  hcereticce 
pravitatis  was  then  under  the  direction  of  the  arch- 
bishop. Cardinal  Falconieri,  the  Archbishop  of  Ra- 
venna, was  a  native  of  Rome,  and  was  slightly  ac- 
quainted with  my  father ;  besides,  he  was  told  that  I 
was  very  young,  attentive  to  my  school  duties,  and 
quiet.  He  was  therefore  not  inclined  to  be  severe. 
He  was  bigoted  and  narrow-minded,  but  good-natured. 
So  he  had  sent  a  servant  of  his  instead  of  a  shirr o  ; 
and  then,  taking  me  aside,  he  advised  me  freely  to  con- 
fess my  fault,  for  thus  they  would  not  be  severe  with 
me. 

I  waited  awhile  in  great  anxiety.  I  was  ignorant 
even  of  what  I  had  been  accused,  but  knew  that  im- 
prisonment, though  for  a  short  time,  would  ruin  my 
long-cherished  hopes  of  getting  the  first  premium  at 
the  approaching  close  of  the  schools.  At  length  the 
servant  introduced  me  into  a  very  large  room,  and 
closed  the  door.  The  room  was  all  hung  with  black 
cloth ;  and  there  was  no  light,  except  from  two  small 
wax-candles  burning  on  a  small  altar  at  the  foot  of  a 
large  statue  of  Christ  hanging  from  the  cross.  Next 
to  the  altar  was  a  large  bench,  with  a  grate  before  it, 
hiding  from  me  the  faces  of  the  occupants.  A  small 
chair  in  front  of  it  was  the  only  furniture,  and,  trem- 
bling, I  approached  it. 

A  small  window  was  opened  m  the  grate,  and  from 
it  a  missal  was  pushed  towards  me,  that  I  might  take 
the  ordinary  oath  to  speak  the  truth,  and  never  to 
reveal  what  I  should  now  see  and  hear.  Then  a  voice 
from  the  inside  uttered,  "  You  are  accused  of  having 
often  read  profane  books  during  mass  at  the  college 
chapel :  do  you  confess  your  fault?  " 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  81 

"  I  do  not  know/'  said  I,  "  what  they  mean  by  pro 
fane  hooks.     I  have  no  other  books  than  the  text- 
books of  my  class.     I  confess,  however,  that  I  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  looking  over  my  lessons  of  geom- 
etry and  algebra  during  mass.'^ 

"  Why  did  you  do  so,  instead  of  listening  to  the 
mass  ?  "  replied  the  same  voice ;  and  I  answered,  that, 
feeling  no  disposition  at  all  to  pray  then,  my  distracted 
mind  would  have  been  filled  with  bad  thoughts  if  I 
did  not  occupy  it  with  my  next  lesson.  This  answer 
appeared  to  be  satisfactory,  and  one  of  the  tribunal 
spoke  officially  in  my  defence,  according  to  the  usage 
of  that  tribunal.  He  remarked  that  the  reading  of 
scientific  books  in  a  church  could  hardly,  in  itself,  be 
considered  a  profanation  and  constitute  a  crime,  if 
there  was  no  evidence  of  its  having  been  done  in  con- 
tempt of  religion ;  and  that,  in  consideration  of  my 
age,  good  conduct,  and  the  ingenuousness  of  my 
answers,  I  ought  to  be  dismissed.  After  a  short  con- 
sultation, his  advice  was  adopted. 

My  hopes  of  getting  the  first  premium  were  not 
delusive ;  and  I  felt  a  great  pleasure,  inasmuch  as  it 
was  the  first  I  had  received,  having  been,  until  now, 
taught  privately  at  home.  I  must  add,  that  the  method 
adopted  by  my  professors  was  weU  fitted  to  give 
solid  instruction,  as  well  as  to  promote  emulation 
among  the  pupils,  and  secure  a  right  and  impartial 
judgment  of  their  relative  merits.  The  first  lesson 
was  an  appropriate  introduction  to  the  others ;  after 
which,  the  professors  began  each  succeeding  lesson 
by  a  short  repetition  of  the  preceding  one,  and  fin- 
ished by  putting  some  questions  to  one  of  the  pupils, 
all  of  whom  were  expected  to  be  prepared  for  a  gen- 
eral weekly  repetition  each  Saturday. 


82  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

Besides,  a  theme  or  a  problem  was  given  to  us 
every  fortnight ;  and  to  prepare  it  well  was  a  matter 
of  great  importance  for  us,  because  the  professors 
examined  it  carefully  at  home,  and  decided  impartially. 
We  had  also  a  preparatory  examination  at  the  end  of 
the  first  quarter,  and  another  at  the  end  of  the  second. 
So  that,  when  the  formal  examination  took  place  at 
the  close  of  the  school,  the  relative  merits,  skill,  and 
progress  of  the  pupils  were  well  known  to  themselves, 
as  well  as  to  the  professors  and  directors  of  the  insti- 
tution. 

The  distribution  of  the  premiums  was  made  with  a 
solemnity  which  gratified  the  boys  no  less  than  their 
parents ;  nor  was  it  a  vain  show,  because  the  youth 
who  had  gained  a  premium  was  constantly  esteemed 
and  preferred  by  the  municipal  authorities;  and, 
should  a  very  poor  boy  take  the  first  premium  dur- 
ing all  the  three  years  of  the  superior  course,  they 
will  send  him  to  the  university  at  the  expense  of  the 
city,  and,  in  the  case  of  a  youth  showing  extraordi- 
nary talent,  they  will  enable  him  to  complete  his 
studies  even  in  foreign  countries.  Professor  Mat- 
teucci,  for  instance,  who  is  now  the  greatest  Italian 
natural  philosopher,  was  thus  educated  at  Paris  and 
elsewhere,  at  the  expense  of  the  city  of  Forli.  I 
recollect  that  he  was  lecturing  on  his  first  electro- 
magnetic discoveries,  filling  for  the  time  the  chair  of 
our  professor  of  physics  in  Ravenna,  when  he  was 
suddenly  sent  into  exile  by  the  papal  government, 
without  receiving  any  intimation  of  the  cause  of  it. 
Matteucci  received  that  iniquitous  sentence  as  he 
would  have  done  an  honor  bestowed  upon  him ;  for 
papal  condemnation  is  a  testimonial  of  merit  and 
virtue. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

MY  COUNTRY-SEAT  AT  RAYENNA. 

During  my  residence  in  Ravenna,  I  never  failed  to 
avail  myself  of  every  holiday  in  order  to  go  to  the 
country-seat  rented  by  my  father  to  the  farmer  of 
whom  I  have  spoken.  There  I  had  no  better  society 
than  the  old  man  and  his  wife.  The  house  was  a 
plain,  two-story  building,  presenting  no  interest  what- 
ever. The  country  itself  was  a  wide  plain,  offering 
no  attractive  scenery.  But  it  was  a  family  estate,  and 
a  property  to  be  mine,  as  the  eldest  son ;  and  that  was 
enough  to  make  it  very  dear  to  me,  for  we  Italians  are 
excessively  fond  of  possessing  real  estate.  It  matters 
not  whether  large  or  small,  we  want  a  piece  of  land, 
with  a  house  on  it.  It  is  the  same  passion  which  was 
so  strong  among  our  ancestors  as  to  produce  many 
popular  revolutions. 

Besides,  I  had  found  a  way  of  spending  my  time 
there  according  to  my  taste.  I  went  out  hunting  in 
the  morning,  coming  back  at  twelve  o'clock,  with  a 
good  appetite,  to  dine  at  the  frugal  table  of  the  farmer. 
Then  I  took  a  ride  on  their  poor  horse.  To  see  the 
affectionate  care  of  those  poor  creatures  for  me,  any 
one  would  have  thought  that  I  was  a  relative,  or  at 
least  a  generous  and  benevolent  master.  But  I  was 
a   perfect  stranger  to  them.     They  paid  their  rent 

(83) 


84  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

punctually ;  and  I  was  never  able  to  induce  them  to 
accept  any  compensation ;  nay,  they  were  pained  if  I 
did  not  freely  enjoy  everything  they  could  afford  me, 
and  I  was  always  received  by  them  in  the  warmest 
manner. 

For  this  kind  treatment  I  was  indebted,  in  a  great 
measure,  to  their  good,  hospitable,  and  loving  charac- 
ter. They  were  a  fair  specimen  of  the  Italian  peas- 
antry :  sober,  laborious,  warm-hearted,  and  intelligent, 
though  kept  in  absolute  ignorance,  and  spoiled  by 
prejudices  and  superstitions.  They  have  a  great  re- 
spect for  well-educated  persons,  and  easily  become 
attached  to  them  if  treated  frankly  and  with  an  unas- 
suming air.  Some  of  those  country  people  own  a 
small  piece,  of  land,  which  they  carefully  cultivate, 
and  some  pay  rent,  or  give  half  of  the  produce  to 
the  proprietors.  This  class  of  laborious,  temperate, 
and  energetic  people  forms  almost  one-half  of  the 
Italian  population,  and  will  be  the  most  powerful  ele- 
ment of  strength,  prosperity,  and  greatness,  when  the 
sun  of  freedom  shall  again  shine  upon  that  classic 
land. 

The  farmer  and  his  wife,  besides  liking  my  man- 
ners, had  conceived  an  exaggerated  idea  of  my  talent 
and  learning.  They  were  enraptured  by  my  stories 
and  anecdotes.  Besides,  they  had  been  informed  by 
the  old  man  who  daily  swept  our  school-rooms  that 
at  college  I  was  thought  a  distinguished  boy;  and 
by  the  same  means  the  old  farmer  had  been  intro- 
duced among  the  spectators  when  the  first  premium 
was  conferred  upon  me.  I  had  noticed  him  among 
the  crowd,  shedding  tears  of  joy ;  and,  as  soon  as  the 
ceremony  was  over,  I  went  to  shake  hands  with  him, 
and  he  was  exceedingly  flattered. 


THE  EOMAN  EXILE.  85 

Next  morning  I  was,  of  course,  at  the  country-seat, 
and  a  chicken  had  been  killed  to  prepare  a  dinner  for 
me,  of  which  the  old  curate  of  the  parish  partook, 
having  come  upon  his  donkey  to  make  my  acquaint- 
ance. He  had  with  him  his  breviary,  as  usual,  and  re- 
quested me  to  read  a  Latin  psalm,  as  a  proof  of  my  skill; 
I  recollect  it  was  the  Fifty-first  Psalm,  and  I  read  it 
with  the  emphasis  due  to  the  sentiment,  and  also  trans- 
lated it  with  ease  into  Italian.  The  poor  curate  was 
exceedingly  amazed  at  this,  because  he  had  never  him- 
self been  able  to  do  so,  although  he  had  been  reading 
that  psalm  almost  every  day  for  the  last  fifty-two  years. 

I  must  add  that  I  had  rendered  the  old  farmer  a 
valuable  service.  He  was  much  thought  of  among  his 
neighbors  for  his  honesty,  good  sense,  and  worldly 
experience ;  but  he  was  unable  to  read  or  write,  and 
could  not  therefore  be  a  trustee  of  the  parish  or  a 
council-member  of  a  poor  neighboring  village.  But, 
with  patient  and  constant  effort,  I  taught  him  to  read 
and  write  tolerably  well ;  in  consequence  of  which,  the 
honors  he  had  coveted  in  vain  all  his  past  life  came 
to  comfort  his  old  age,  even  more  sensible  to  such 
distinctions.  Thus  I  entirely  won  his  affection  and 
esteem,  as  well  as  his  gratitude. 

Now  there  was  to  be  an  extraordinary  feast  in  the 
parish,  for  which  a  great  deal  of  money  had  been 
collected.  The  church  was  consecrated  to  St.  Anna, 
the  mother  of  the  "  Holy  Virgin  ; "  and,  as  the  ancient 
wooden  statue  of  the  patron  saint  was  entirely  worn 
out,  the  trustees  had  purchased  a  new  one  from  a 
dealer  in  saints  in  Ravenna,  and  intended  to  inaugurate 
it,  with  due  solemnity,  on  the  27th  of  July,  the  holy- 
day  of  St.  Anna.  The  old  curate  and  the  trustees 
tendered  me  a  hearty  invitation  to  attend  the  dinner 
8 


iQ 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 


which  was  to  be  given  on  this  important  occasion,  and 
I  was  prevailed  on  to  accept  it. 

A  programme  of  the  feast  had  been  printed,  as 
usual,  on  large  sheets  of  colored  paper,  and  hung  some 
days  previously  on  the  door  of  the  church,  and  also  in 
the  most  conspicuous  places  of  the  neighboring  vil- 
lages, alluring  people  to  attend  the  feast  by  the 
description  of  the  spectacle ;  and  a  great  many  people 
came  there,  even  from  a  distance.  On  the  ground  in 
front  of  the  church  stood  the  booths  of  the  dealers  in 
saints.  Madonnas,  rosaries,  relics,  medals,  and  Christs, 
of  every  material  and  description.  Next  to  them 
were  the  dealers  in  wine,  bread,  biscuits,  fruits,  and 
everything  to  satisfy  the  appetite  of  the  attendants. 

The  beautiful  country  girls,  with  their  simple  but 
picturesque  dresses  and  white  veils,  came  in  great 
numbers,  "  to  see  and  be  seen  ;  "  and  no  less  numer- 
ous was  the  attendance  of  the  young  men,  neatly 
dressed,  and  with  peacock  feathers  and  flowers  in 
their  hats.  Many  priests  also  had  come  :  they  be- 
longed to  that  class  who,  having  no  charge  of  any 
church,  earn  their  livelihood  by  going  to  and  fro, 
selling  their  masses  to  the  highest  bidders,  especially 
on  occasions  of  feasts  and  burials.  They  were  paid 
for  that  day  fifty  cents  each,  besides  a  good  dinner. 
There  were  likewise  a  great  many  clerks,  that  is, 
youths  destined  for  the  priesthood,  and  dressed  like 
priests ;  they,  however,  received  only  five  cents  be- 
sides the  dinner. 

Many  masses  were  said  in  haste  in  the  morning  ;  but 
at  eleven  o'clock  the  solemn  mass  was  sung  according 
to  the  programme  5  and,  soon  after,  a  solemn  proces- 
sion set  forth,  extending  a  mile  on  the  public  road. 
At  the  head  of  it  was  a  blooming  girl,  bearing  a  cross, 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  87 

on  which  was  nailed  a  plaster  statue  of  Christ ;  and 
next  to  her  were  four  other  girls,  with  burning  wax 
candles  in  their  hands;  then  followed  a  respectable 
corps  of  women,  children,  and  girls,  proceeding  by 
couples,  accompanied  here  and  there  by  overseers 
armed  with  large  sticks.  These  overseers  belonged 
to  a  brotherhood  whose  members  came  next,  clad  in 
their  long  white  "  cappe  "  and  red  cowls.  Afterwards 
the  young  priestly  clerks  made  their  appearance,  and 
were  followed  by  the  priests. 

All  these  people,  in  a  language  intended  to  be  Latin, 
were  singing  what  they  believed  to  be  the  praises  of 
St.  Anna,  whose  statue  was  borne  upon  the  shoulders 
of  six  young  men,  and  under  a  large  canopy  carried 
by  six  other  young  men.  There  was  the  old  curate, 
in  pontifical  robes,  attended  by  two  of  the  oldest 
priests,  and  two  very  young  clerks  had  been  chosen 
for  the  office  of  burning  incense,  and  offering  the  smoke 
of  it  to  the  statue  with  their  censers.  The  young 
men,  who  formed  in  two  wings,  had  been  idle  specta- 
tors, exchanging  occasionally  some  glances  with  the 
passing  girls,  or  making  trifling  remarks;  but  they 
now  followed  the  procession,  crowded  together  behind 
the  canopy,  and  I  was  with  them. 

At  the  stopping-place  of  the  procession  was  a  large 
oak  tree,  under  whose  shadow  a  small  altar  had  been 
prepared ;  the  statue  was  placed  upon  it,  and  every  one 
knelt  on  the  dust  to  pay  it  worship.  The  old  curate 
also  knelt  for  a  few  moments,  and  then,  rising  before  the 
others,  directed  the  bearers  of  the  statue  to  move  it  up 
and  down,  here  and  there,  so  as  to  form  a  sign  of  the 
cross  in  the  air,  while  he  pronounced  a  Latin  bene- 
diction. At  this,  by  a  concerted  signal,  began  at  some 
distance  the  firing  of  five  hundred  small  mortars,  so 


88  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

/ 

skilfully  arranged  as  to  produce,  by  firing  at  measured 
intervals,  a  certain  cadence. 

After  this,  the  procession  returned  to  the  church, 
and  all  the  attendants  went  to  enjoy  a  dinner  worthy 
of  such  a  feast,  —  some  at  their  own  homes,  some  at 
their  friends'  houses,  and  some  at  the  booths  erected 
for  the  purpose.  As  for  me,  being  an  invited  guest, 
I  sat  at  the  table  which,  as  well  as  all  the  other  amuse- 
ments and  ceremonies,  had  been  prepared  by  the 
curate  and  trustees  with  the  funds  for  the  feast.  We 
amounted  to  about  fifty  at  the  table,  which  was  liber- 
ally supplied  with  excellent  meats  and  good  wine.  It 
was  the  first  scene  I  had  ever  witnessed  of  free  eat- 
ing, hard  drinking,  and  very  noisy  rejoicing ;  and  I 
confess  that  I  felt  scandalized  by  it,  although  it  was  all 
done  for  the  honor  of  St.  Anna. 

After  the  dinner  was  over,  some  of  the  priests  rested 
on  beds  and  sofas,  some  played  cards,  and  some  went 
to  visit  their  female  acquaintances  among  the  attend- 
ants of  the  feast,  till  the  hour  should  come  for  the 
vesper  service.  It  was  held  at  four  o'clock,  and  lasted 
half  an  hour,  closing  with  the  benediction,  now  given 
by  making  a  sign  of  the  cross  with  a  wafer,  said  to  be 
the  real  flesh  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  ,•  but,  evidently, 
it  had  not  for  the  people  so  much  attraction  as  the  new 
wooden  statue  of  St.  Anna. 

Going  out  from  the  church,  we  found  already  pre- 
pared, in  front  of  it,  a  large  paper  balloon,  on  which 
was  painted  the  image  of  St.  Anna,  and  an  inscription 
mentioning  the  object  and  the  date  of  the  feast.  It 
was  launched  in  the  air.  Soon  after  sunset  fire-works 
were  exhibited,  the  closing  piece  being  a  portrait  of 
St.  Anna,  skilfully  illuminated,  with  her  name  beneath 
it.     It  was  very  dark  when  the  crowd  took  their  way 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  89 

home ;  and  darkness  covered,  perhaps,  a  sequel  to  the 
feast  which  would  have  done  but  little  honor  to  St. 
Anna. 

"  It  has  been  a  magnificent  feast,"  said  the  farmer, 
as  we  were  going  home. 

"  I  never  spent  a  pleasanter  day,'^  observed  a  young 
girl  of  our  party. 

"  Our  St.  Anna  looks  very  pretty,"  added  the  farm- 
er's wife ;  but  to  her  opinion  I  was  not  able  to  sub- 
scribe. There  were  important  errors  in  the  propor- 
tions of  the  statue ;  and  the  face,  besides  being  too 
large,  was  of  as  red  a  color  as  a  priest's  after  dinner. 
This  made  a  shocking  contrast  with  the  wig  of  fair 
hair,  the  valuable  gift  of  a  rich  old  lady  of  Ravenna. 
The  gown  with  which  the  statue  was  clad  was  formerly 
a  rich  wedding  robe,  belonging  to  an  old  lady  who  had 
breathed  her  last  some  months  before ;  but  upon  it 
had  been  placed  a  large  cotton  mantle  of  blue  color ; 
and  here  was  another  unpleasant  contrast.  In  short, 
it  appeared  to  me  that  altogether  the  statue  was  some- 
what unworthy  of  so  much  parade.  But  I  durst  not 
express  such  ideas,  which  everybody  would  have  con- 
sidered very  wrong. 

It  was  almost  two  hours  after  sunset  when  we  ar- 
rived at  the  country-seat,  and  a  little  shower  of  rain 
had  begun ;  so  that  I  was  prevailed  upon  to  spend  the 
night  there.  The  farmer  and  his  wife  occupied  only 
the  four  rooms  on  the  ground  floor ;  the  second  story 
had  been  reserved  by  my  father  for  his  own  use,  and 
one  of  the  rooms  was  constantly  kept  in  order  to 
receive  him  when  coming  to  Ravenna.  I  saw  the  old 
woman  very  busy  in  preparing  a  bed  for  me  in  one 
of  their  rooms,  and  I  said  to  her, 
8* 


90  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

"Do  not  take  so  much  trouble.  I  want  to  go  and 
sleep  up  stairs  in  my  father's  room." 

"  Don't  do  it,  for  mercy's  sake,"  exclaimed  she,  almost 
terrified.  And  then  she  explained  to  me  that  those 
rooms  in  the  second  story  were  constantly  infested  by 
bad  spirits  during  the  night,  and  told  me  a  dreadful 
legend  of  an  ancestor  of  mine,  whose  spirit  was  sup- 
posed to  come  back  to  make  a  noise  and  hurt  the 
sleepers.  At  this  I  could  not  help  laughing,  because 
I  did  not  believe  in  the  return  of  spirits,  or  in  their 
power  to  make  noises  and  hurt  people,  since  they  have 
no  material  form.  But,  to  calm  her  fears,  I  observed 
that  my  father  had  slept  there  many  times  without 
being  hurt. 

"Well,"  replied  she,  "but  your  father  has  been  a 
soldier,  and  went  as  far  as  Russia,  and  knows,  no 
doubt,  some  secret  against  bad  spirits." 

"  I  know  the  same  secret,"  said  I ;  "  that  is,  I  do  not 
believe  in  the  coming  back  of  spirits.'^ 

Of  course,  in  that  year  (1837)  every  person  of  good 
sense  and  education  would  have  been  disgraced  by 
believing  such  absurdities.  Sixteen  years  after,  how- 
ever, landing  in  New  York,  I  found  a  great  many 
people  seriously  engaged  in  reviving  those  creations 
of  the  middle  ages.  As  for  me,  I  confess  that  I  heard 
some  noise  that  night ;  but,  not  being  acquainted  with 
the  theory  of  the  "  rapping  spirits,"  I  thought  they 
were  "  rapping  rats." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MY  RETURN  TO   ROME. 

I  LEFT  Ravenna  on  the  3d  of  August,  1838,  feeling 
very  happy  at  my  success  in  my  studies,  and  antici- 
pating the  pleasure  of  being  again  with  my  mother  at 
my  sweet  home,  after  a  separation  of  two  years.  I 
took  the  road  through  Ancona,  wishing  to  see  that 
place,  and  stopped  there  for  two  days.  That  important 
fortress  had  been  garrisoned  by  Frenchmen  since  the 
year  1832,  when  they  took  possession  of  it  by  treason, 
pretending  that  they  had  come  to  help  a  revolutionary 
movement.  Ancona  is  the  most  advantageous  posi- 
tion for  the  eastern  trade,  and  its  port  is  the  largest 
and  most  convenient  on  the  Adriatic  Sea.  A  short 
railroad  from  that  city  to  the  River  Po,  which  would 
connect  with  the  railroads  of  Lombardy,  Piedmont, 
Switzerland,  France,  Belgium,  and  Germany,  would 
make  Ancona  the  emporium  of  eastern  commerce  for 
Continental  Europe. 

For  many  years,  no  means  had  been  spared  to  in- 
duce the  pope  to  consent  to  the  construction  of  such 
a  railroad;  and  even  some  foreign  governments,  in- 
terested in  it,  had  made  earnest  representations  to 
him.  A  final  answer  was  expected  from  the  pope 
when  I  arrived  at  Ancona.  Gregory  XYI.,  pressed 
from  so  many  directions,  at  length  answered:  "  I  fore- 

(91) 


92  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

see  that,  after  my  death,  such  innovations  will  take 
place,  and  do  evil  to  religion.  I  am  already  an  old 
man :  let  me  die  in  peace,  without  witnessing  them." 
After  this,  he  strictly  forbade  everybody  to  speak  to 
him  of  such  things  as  railroads,  steamboats,  and  gas- 
light. 

I  heard  much  murmuring  on  this  account  at  An- 
cona,  though  it  was  repressed  by  the  French  garrison. 
It  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  I  began  to  enter  into 
the  practical  views  of  the  Italian  revolutionists.  My 
love  for  freedom  was,  of  course,  born  with  me,  and 
had  been  greatly  developed  by  my  parents,  by  my 
growing  up  amidst  the  monuments  and  ruins  of  Rome, 
and  by  the  study  of  our  national  history.  But  my 
aspirations  for  political  and  religious  freedom  were 
not  till  now  of  a  practical  character.  Now  I  began  to 
feel  that  there  was  no  use  in  merely  wishing  the  de- 
struction of  papacy,  —  that  we  must  undertake  it  by 
material  means,  in  order  to  secure  our  moral  and  ma- 
terial interests. 

Indulging  this  new  train  of  ideas,  I  revolved  in 
my  mind  the  difficulties  of  such  an  undertaking. 
French  and  Austrian  garrisons  were  under  my  eyes ; 
and,  besides,  the  pope  had  six  thousand  Swiss  troops. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  recollected  many  unsuccessful 
attempts,  and  the  cruel  vengeance  by  which  they 
were  followed.  But  aU  this  excited  my  juvenile  en- 
thusiasm, instead  of  quelling  it.  I  had  heard  much 
of  the  secret  political  societies  existing  in  Italy,  and 
I  relied  greatly  upon  them  for  success.  To  be  con- 
nected with  some  of  them  was  now  my  earnest  desire ; 
but  I  felt  that  I  was  too  young  to  command  the  con- 
fidence of  those  who  were  putting  their  lives  at  stake. 

On  the  evening  of  the  second  day  after  my  arrival 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  93 

at  Ancona,  as  I  was  looking  for  a  conveyance  to 
Rome,  a  vetturino,  with  his  carriage,  put  up  at  my 
hotel,  and  I  easily  arranged  the  matter  with  him,  as 
he  was  going  to  Rome,  and  had  but  one  passenger. 
I  supped  at  the  same  table  with  my  future  fellow- 
traveller.  He  was  a  handsome  young  man,  with  easy 
manners,  perhaps  five  years  older  than  myself.  He 
also  was  a  native  of  Rome,  and  was  now  coming  back 
from  the  University  of  Bologna,  where  he  had  earned 
the  doctorate  at  law.  We  were  both  happy  in  our 
meeting,  and  an  unbounded  confidence  was  soon  es- 
tablished between  us. 

''  What  do  you  think,"  said  I,  "  of  the  pope^s  pro- 
scribing railroads,  steamboats,  and  gas-light,  as  being 
irreligious  ? '' 

"  I  think  that  the  pope  is  right ;  because,  in  order 
to  preserve  his  political  and  religious  system,  he  must 
prevent  every  kind  of  progress,  and  bring  back  society 
to  the  condition  in  which  it  existed  at  the  time  when 
that  system  originated.  The  people,  however,  are 
wrong  in  allowing  themselves  to  be  ruled  over  by  a 
pope.'^ 

To  this  I  replied  by  naming  some  of  the  difficulties 
to  be  encountered  in  getting  rid  of  the  pope ;  but  my 
new  friend  smiled  at  me,  and  in  a  low  tone  began  to 
sing  a  well-known  stanza : 

"  Liberty  non  fallisce  ai  volenti, 
Ma  il  sentier  de  perigli  ell'  addita  ; 
E  promessa  a  chi  ponvi  la  vita, 
Non  e  premio  d'inerte  desir." 

Liberty  smiles  on  daring  hearts, 
And  wills  that  never  swerve  ; 
Of  manly  virtues  't  is  the  test, 
None  who  can  die  need  serve. 


94  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

Next  morning  I  was  sitting  in  the  carriage  with 
Mattia  (such  was  the  name  of  my  countryman),  and, 
after  a  pleasant  ride,  we  arrived  at  ten  o'clock  at  our 
stopping-place,  to  take  our  meals,  and  allow  a  rest  of 
three  hours  to  the  horses,  as  usual.  This  place  hap- 
pened to  be  Loreto, — a  poor  town,  with  two  thousand 
wretched  inhabitants.  It  has  been  for  ages  a  great 
resort  of  pilgrims  from  the  whole  of  Italy  and  Europe, 
coming  to  worship  the  "  Holy  House."  This  object 
of  worship  is  a  very  poor  house,  consisting  of  on^ 
room,  and  built  with  the  limestone  of  that  place,  like 
the  houses  of  the  poor  peasants  of  the  country. 

This  "Holy  House"  stands  on  the  summit  of  a 
beautiful  hill,  in  view  of  the  Adriatic  Sea.  A  very 
large  cathedral  has  been  erected  around  that  building, 
which  occupies  a  small  part  of  the  space  under  the 
airy  dome.  The  house  is  worshipped  because  it  is 
said  to  be  the  very  house  of  the  "  Holy  Virgin,"  for- 
merly standing  in  Nazareth.  Such,  at  least,  was  the 
infallible  opinion  of  a  pope,  who,  in  his  Latin  bull  to 
explain  that  remarkable  change  of  place,  said  that  on 
a  very  dark  night  angels  took  the  "  Holy  House  "  in 
their  hands,  and  brought  it  from  Nazareth  to  Loreto, 
before  daybreak ;  and  this  night  was  found  out  to  be 
that  of  the  10th  of  December,  603.  The  papists  have 
on  that  day  a  feast,  called  "  The  Passage  of  the  Holy 
House." 

The  exhibition  of  the  house,  and  the  miracles  per- 
formed by  it,  afforded,  "in  good  times,"  immense 
riches  to  the  popes ;  but  the  trade  was  ruined  by  Na- 
poleon. It  was  his  policy  to  destroy  the  commerce 
of  his  enemies ;  so  that,  being  at  war  with  Pope  Pius 
VI.,  during  the  year  1799,  he  plundered  the  "  Holy 
House,"  and  took  as  prisoner  to  Paris  the  statue  which 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  95 

was  worshipped  there.  From  that  moment  the  credit 
of  the  "  Holy  House  "  was  lost,  and  its  exhibition  does 
not  now  produce  enough  for  the  support  of  the  nu- 
merous attendants,  and  for  the  ordinary  repairs  of  the 
buildings. 

"Let  us  go  and  see  the  ^  Holy  House/  "  said  Mattia, 
who  wanted  to  show  it  to  me ;  and  curiosity  induced 
me  to  assent.  There  were  some  worshippers  in  the 
cathedral,  all  poor  country  people  or  foreigners.  They 
went  to  the  "  Holy  House,"  walking  on  their  knees 
on  the  marble  floor ;  but,  using  the  privilege  of  trav- 
ellers, my  friend  and  I  entered  that  barn  freely.  It 
was  dreadfully  hot  inside,  in  consequence  of  two  hun- 
dred wax  candles  constantly  burning,  day  and  night, 
before  the  statue  of  the  "  Holy  Virgin  "  and  her  Son, 
taken  from  life  by  St.  Luke,  and  now  redeemed  from 
French  captivity.  It  consists  of  a  piece  of  wood,  in 
the  form  of  a  cut  cone,  surmounted  by  two  very  black 
and  ugly  heads,  of  different  size,  and  both  almost  de- 
stroyed by  too  devoted  worms.  On  one  side  is  the 
iron  key  with  which  the  "  Holy  Virgin ''  locked  the 
door  when  she  went  out  on  business,  and  on  the  other 
side  is  the  very  wooden  cup  from  which  she  used  to 
drink.  All  the  amulets  must  be  put  into  that  cup,  and 
remain  some  minutes,  before  being  sold. 

"  I  thought  that  St.  Luke  was  a  more  skilful  artist,'^ 
said  I  to  my  friend,  as  we  went  out ;  "  because  I  have 
seen  at  Ravenna  a  bas-relief  Madonna,  in  fine  Italian 
marble,  said  to  have  been  made  by  him,  which  was 
much  better." 

"  It  must  be  an  apocryphal  work,"  answered  my 
friend,  "  because  I  have  seen  at  Bologna  the  famous 
'  Madonna  di  S.  Luca,'  painted  by  him,  and  it  was  at 
least  as  ugly  as  that  statue.     In  fact,  we  know  from 


96  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

Paul  that  Luke  was  a  physician,  and  no  one  has  said 
that  he  was  also  an  artist,  although  we  have  a  hun- 
dred of  his  works  both  in  painting  and  sculpture." 

"  Away  with  jests  !  "  said  I ;  "is  it  not  an  abomina- 
tion?" 

"  Speak  low,"  answered  Mattia,  "  because  here  all 
these  wretched  inhabitants  earn  their  bread  by  manu- 
facturing and  selling  the  little  images  of  that  statue 
and  other  amulets ;  so  that  we  run  the  risk  of  hearing 
them,  full  of  wrath,  cry  out,  '  Great  is  the  Holy  House 
of  Loreto,'  and  raising  a  mob  against  us,  as  happened 
to  Paul,  when  by  his  preaching  he  endangered  the 
trade  of  the  jewellers  of  Ephesus." 

"  Well,  my  friend,"  observed  I ;  "  you  quote  freely 
from  the  Bible.  Do  you  not  know  that  it  is  a  forbid- 
den book?" 

He  smiled  at  this,  and  we  shook  hands  significantly. 

Two  evenings  after  that,  we  were  at  Fuligno ;  and, 
having  supped  very  early,  we  went  to  take  a  walk, 
and  afterwards  entered  a  fashionable  cofiee-house  to 
take  some  refreshments.  There  were  present  many 
persons,  coffee-houses  being  very  much  frequented 
by  the  Italians.  They  looked  upon  us  as  unknown 
persons ;  and  Mattia,  hke  myself,  appeared  to  know 
no  one  of  them.  Nevertheless,  we  had  seated  our- 
selves but  a  little  while  at  a  small  table,  when  I  saw 
many  of  those  persons  come  to  shake  hands  with  my 
friend  in  a  very  familiar  manner ;  and  then  plenty  of 
refreshments  were  placed  before  us,  for  which  we  had 
to  pay  nothing.     Was  it  not  a  mystery  ? 

Some  of  these  kind  people  took  the  trouble  of 
accompanying  us  to  our  hotel.  Among  them  was  a 
young  man  who  immediately  won  my  esteem  and 
affection.    He   offered  me  his  friendship ;  and,  from 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  97 

that  moment,  we  were  intimate  friends,  till  his  death, 
which  happened  lately  in  London.  My  poor  friend  I 
six  years  of  bitter  exile  among  those  fogs  depressed 
his  poetical  mind,  extinguished  his  genius,  and  con- 
sumed his  strength,  till  he  died  broken-hearted. 

Now,  from  all  that  had  happened  at  the  coffee-house 
of  Fuhgno,  I  was  led  to  conjecture  that  my  friend 
was  a  prominent  member  of  some  secret  association. 
I  tried  to  make  known  to  him  my  sentiments  and 
wishes,  without  uttering,  however,  any  request  or  allu- 
sion ;  for  I  considered  myself  too  young  to  be  admit- 
ted to  his  confidence.  So  that,  speaking  of  Ravenna, 
I  mentioned  the  "  Carbonari,"  a  secret  society  which 
was  formerly  very  powerful  there  ;  and  then  I  said  to 
Mattia,  "Do  you  think  that  the  ^  Carbonari  *  have  done 
good  for  Italy  ?  " 

"  No  doubt,"  answered  Mattia ;  "  their  attempts, 
though  unsuccessful  and  ill-directed,  have  advanced 
the  national  cause ;  besides,  their  noble  firmness,  gen- 
erous self-sacrifices,  and  heroic  endurance  under  the 
most  cruel  torments,  have  contributed  more  than  any- 
thing else  to  popularize  the  national  idea,  and  create 
the  actual  strong  character  of  the  Italian  youth." 

"  Do  you  think  then,"  added  I,  "  that  it  is  desirable 
to  have  that  society  continued  or  restored?" 

"  That  is  another  question,"  replied  he ;  "  and  I  tell 
you  that  I  think  not.  We  have  made  great  progress 
in  a  few  years :  the  idea  of  liberty  and  independence 
is  now  the  aspiration  of  every  soul,  and  our  obstacles 
are  all  from  abroad.  What,  then,  would  be  the  use 
of  the  gradual  initiations  and  mysteries  to  which  the 
Carbonari  resorted?  " 

The  conversation  was  cut  short  by  our  arriving  at 
Terni,  a  pretty  town  where  we  were  to  spend  the 
9 


98  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

night;  and,  there  being  yet  two  hours  before  sunset, 
we  determined  to  go  and  see  the  fall  called  "  Le  Mar- 
more,"  not  far  from  the  town.  "It  is  a  glorious 
sight/'  observed  Mattia,  "  and  will  make  amends  for 
the  debasing  spectacle  which  we  saw  at  Loreto." 

Many  falls  of  water  are  more  abundant  and  impor- 
tant; but  no  one  is  more  poetical  and  picturesque 
than  this,  —  a  river  falling  upon  another  river  from 
a  high  perpendicular  rock,  where  it  has  been  led  by 
the  powerful  hand  of  man.  The  Velino  was  a  furious 
torrent,  which  often  made  wide  and  dreadful  devasta- 
tions. The  ancient  Romans  cut  a  passage  for  it 
through  a  rocky  mountain,  at  the  foot  of  which  the 
Nera  was  quietly  running  her  tributary  waters  to  the 
Tiber.  The  furious  Yelino  precipitates  itself  upon 
the  quiet  Nera  with  a  tremendous  noise,  the  sublime 
effect  of  which,  among  magnificent  scenery,  is  beyond 
any  description. 

We  found  there  a  young  Belgian  artist  travelling  on 
foot  to  Rome.  He  was  an  acquaintance  of  Mattia,  and 
was  easily  prevailed  upon  to  take  a  seat  in  the  same 
carriage  with  us,  because  the  interest  of  the  country 
gradually  diminishes  as  we  approach  to  Rome.  His 
company  afforded  us  great  pleasure.  The  next  even- 
ing we  were  at  Civita  Castellana,  a  poor  town,  thirty- 
eight  miles  from  Rome,  known  only  because  it  con- 
tains one  of  the  fortresses  in  which  prisoners  for 
political  offences  are  tortured  to  death.  The  fortress 
was  emptied  by  the  revolutionists  during  the  year 
1831,  but  was  now  filled  again. 

It  was  impossible  for  Mattia  and  me  to  pass  under 
those  silent  walls  without  feeling  a  shudder  of  horror. 
We  thought  that  we  heard  the  clanking  of  the  chains 
and  the  groans  of  the  victims.     It  put  us,  of  course, 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  99 

in  bad  spirits,  and  the  places  through  which  we  passed 
next  morning  were  but  Httle  fitted  to  dispel  them. 

Mattia  first  broke  the  silence,  sayin'g  to  the  Belgian, 
"  This  soil  is  the  richest  and  most  favored  by  nature 
in  Italy,  free  from  snow,  freezing,  storms,  and  exceed- 
ingly hot  weather.  The  Etrurians  built  here  a  great 
many  populous  cities,  of  the  best  materials,  supplied 
by  the  soil  itself.  Not  less  than  six  millions  of  inhab- 
itants have  lived  comfortably  in  this  territory,  which 
is  now  a  desert,  and  consequently  unhealthy.  This 
is  the  effect  of  a  thousand  years  of  papal  domination." 

"  Of  course,"  observed  the  Belgian,  "  papacy  has 
surrounded  its  nest  by  a  dreadful  desolation  ,*  but  I 
have  heard  some  priests  attribute  it  to  the  indolence 
of  your  people." 

"Look  at  Bologna,"  answered  Mattia;  "it  is  the 
least  privileged  by  nature  of  our  provinces,  and  yet  it 
is  the  best  cultivated,  and  its  large  population  are 
prosperous  and  active,  because  that  province  has 
been  thrown  absolutely  under  the  papal  yoke  only 
since  the  year  1815,  by  the  impious  Congress  of  Vi- 
enna. Ferrara,  Forli,  Ravenna,  Perugia,  and  other 
provinces,  exhibit  each  a  different  stage  of  decay, 
according  to  the  time  of  their  coming  under  the  papal 
sway ;  while  the  provinces  adjoining  Rome,  and  form- 
ing the  so-called  '  patrimony  of  St.  Peter,'  are  in  the 
most  wretched  condition." 

"  I  think,"  said  the  Belgian,  "  that  the  Roman  people 
are  right  in  trying  to  shake  off  the  papal  yoke,  and  I 
highly  appreciate  the  generous  efforts  of  *all  the  Ital- 
ians for  their  independence ;  but,  even  admiring  their 
noble  conduct  and  generous  self-sacrifices,  I  cannot 
approve  the  course  which  they  have  taken  in  attempt- 
ing to  free  their  country  by  conspiracies  and  secret 


100  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

societies.  We  Belgians  have  emancipated  ourselves 
from  Holland  without  resorting  to  those  mysterious 
arts." 

"Moreover,"  replied  Mattia,  "the  Belgian  revolu- 
tion had  the  help  of  a  French  army ;  it  was  plotted 
by  Jesuits ;  and  was  cherished  by  European  diplo- 
macy as  the  means  of  forever  putting  down  Holland, 
a  true  Protestant  nation" 

"Do  you  think,  then/'  interrupted  the  Belgian, 
"  that  even  English  diplomacy  was  in  favor  of  the  so- 
called  Catholicism  ?  " 

"  Truly  I  think  so,"  answered  Mattia ;  "  but  never 
mind  now.  What  I  want  to  observe  is,  that  Belgium, 
under  the  Dutch  king,  enjoyed  at  least  as  much  free- 
dom as  now,  being  a  united  nation,  with  a  national 
representation,  a  free  tribune,  and  a  free  press.  The 
Italians,  on  the  contrary,  have  no  parliament,  no  tri- 
bune, no  press  at  all ;  and,  besides,  there  is  no  per- 
sonal security,  no  right  of  meeting  more  than  three 
together,  and  spies  note  their  movements,  words,  and 
almost  thoughts.  So  that  we  have  not  the  means 
which  you  had  to  promote  the  national  idea,  and  to 
come  to  a  common  understanding ;  and,  consequently, 
the  Italians  must  resort  to  those  means  which  their 
tyrants  cannot  reach." 

The  Belgian  appeared  to  be  almost  convinced,  and 
then  objected  again,  saying,  "  The  Carbonari  have  dis- 
graced themselves  by  mysterious  executions,  spread- 
ing terror  mstead  of  persuasion." 

"It  woT:l5d  be  easy  to  prove,"  answered  Mattia, 
"that  their  pretended  excesses  have  been  exagger- 
ated, and  sometimes  provoked,  by  the  conduct  of 
other  secret  societies  erected  by  the  governments 
against  them ;  but  now  it  is  enough  to  say  that  that 


THE  EOMAH  iLXlLfi;        ''    *  "  101 

society  belongs  to  the  past,  and  has  been  succeeded 
by  the  national  society  called  ^  Young  Italy/  which 
has  neither  mysteries  nor  executions,  and  proceeds 
in  a  very  different  manner." 

Now,  at  ten  miles  distance,  we  began  to  discover 
the  immense  dome  of  St.  Peter  towering  in  the  air; 
and  nothing  more  was  to  be  seen,  till,  at  four  miles 
from  Rome,  the  magnificent  panorama  appeared  before 
us.  At  that  place  there  was  a  carriage  stopping,  and, 
as  we  were  passing  it,  a  cry  of  joy  attracted  my  atten- 
tion. It  was  my  mother  1  I  had  written  to  her  from 
Ancona;  and,  calculating  exactly  the  time  of  my  jour- 
ney, she  was  coming  to  meet  me.  0,  what  mutual 
happiness  I 

9* 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MY  VACATION  IN  ROME. 

I  AT  first  passed  very  happily  the  time  of  my  vaca- 
tion. I  rose  at  seven  o'clock,  and  spent  the  whole 
of  the  morning  studying  in  my  room,  or  at  a  public 
library.  I  breakfasted  about  twelve,  and  then  went 
to  visit  the  galleries,  museums,  churches,  monuments, 
ruins,  and  all  the  remarkable  places,  sitting  often  for 
hours  with  a  book  among  some  solitary  ruins.  At  six 
o'clock  I  dined  with  my  family ;  and,  when  that  was 
over,  went  to  some  cofiee-house,  to  meet  my  friends. 
In  the  evening  no  one  does  business  in  Rome,  and  I 
amused  myself  according  to  the  general  habit. 

Music  is  with  us  the  greatest  source  of  amusement. 
It  is  by  means  of  excellent  music  that  papal  priests 
occasionally  succeed  in  crowding  their  immense 
churches,  deserted  by  faith ;  and  for  the  same  reason 
we  frequent  the  theatres.  But,  on  the  occasion  of  a 
great  display  of  music,  the  churches  become  the  re- 
sort of  pickpockets,  and  other  wicked  characters,  and 
offer  the  best  occasion  for  a  great  show  of  ornamented 
beauties  of  both  sexes,  and  an  exchange  of  glances, 
words,  secret  notes,  &c.  Guerrazzi  has  said  that 
"the  Italians  fall  in  love  in  their  churches;"  he  should 
have  added  that  to  them  may  be  traced  almost  all  the 

(102) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  103 

less  innocent  intrigues  of  love,  which  are  greatly  fa- 
vored by  the  crowd  in  constant  motion. 

The  theatre,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  more  honest  place 
of  amusement,  and  offers  no  scandal.  There  each  one 
keeps  his  seat  in  a  dignified  manner ;  each  family  has 
a  separate  box,  and  all  are  listening  to  the  music  with 
rapture.  Besides,  the  play  must  be  previously  ap- 
proved by  a  special  committee  of  distinguished  men, 
who  also  have  a  box  near  the  stage,  from  which  they 
watch  that  nothing  may  be  introduced  to  offend  deco- 
rum or  modesty.  No  mother,  therefore,  has  any 
objection  to  taking  her  daughters,  and  even  little  chil- 
dren, to  the  theatre;  and  my  own  mother,  whose 
moral  and  religious  feelings  were  of  a  very  severe 
cast,  would  never  allow  my  sisters  to  go  to  hear  the 
music  in  the  churches,  but  took  them  often  to  the 
theatre. 

Sometimes  I  consider  the  taste  of  the  Italians  for 
the  fine  arts  and  for  music  as  a  kind  of  compensation, 
enabling  them  to  bear  with  less  grief  the  sad  lot  of 
our  unhappy  country.  -  Surely,  Italians  not  only  like 
music,  but  need  it.  Our  rather  quick  temperament, 
and  the  horrible  state  of  oppression  and  almost  con- 
tinual provocation  which  we  suffer  from  our  tyrants, 
would  too  often  excite  us  to  extremities,  if  our  souls 
were  not  soothed  and  softened  by  music.  It  makes 
us  forget,  for  a  moment,  our  griefs  and  our  wrongs ; 
and,  when  the  remembrance  of  them  comes  back  to 
the  mind,  it  has  lost  much  of  its  force.  To  music  we 
are  indebted  for  that  delicate  disposition  of  mind 
which  makes  the  Italian  people  satisfied  with  simple, 
and  almost  puerile,  amusements. 

"  Where  do  you  spend  your  evenings  ? "  Mattia, 
with  whom  I  had  preserved  an  intimate  friendship,  in- 


104  THE  EOMAN   EXILE. 

quired  of  me  one  day ;  and  I  informed  him  that  I  went 
every  evening  to  the  opera. 

^^  Every  evening  is  too  often/'  said  he ;  "  and  I  have 
thought  of  introducing  you  to  a  party  of  friends,  who 
meet  three  times  a  week,  in  the  evening,  to  study 
political  economy." 

I  was  very  much  pleased  and  flattered  at  this  pro- 
posal, as  a  great  privilege  in  itself,  and  as  being  prob- 
ably a  first  step,  or  experiment,  which  should  lead  me 
to  the  secret  political  associations ;  for  I  had  observed 
with  pleasure  that  Mattia  looked  on  me  as  a  future 
fellow-laborer.  Political  economy,  in  all  its  branches, 
has  always  been  a  favorite  science  with  the  Italians  : 
it  was  born  among  us,  and  we  have  contributed  to  it 
more  than  any  other  people.  To  be  ignorant  of  po- 
litical economy  would  be  a  shame  for  a  lawyer ;  and 
even  a  physician,  a  banker,  or  an  architect,  will  boast 
of  knowing  something  of  it.  Unfortunately,  however, 
our  governments  do  not  share  the  affection  of  their 
subjects  for  that  science. 

In  fact,  the  great  impetus  given  to  political  econo- 
my by  Genovesi,  Beccaria,  Filangeri,  and  other  not 
less  conspicuous  modern  writers,  was  checked  as  soon 
as  the  impious  Congress  of  Vienna  gave  Italy  to  the 
pope,  Austria,  and  other  ancient  tyrants.  They  sup- 
pressed the  chairs  of  that  science  in  the  universities, 
and  tried  to  restore  ignorance  by  persecuting  learned 
men.  This  explains  why  the  friends  of  Mattia  held 
secret  meetings  in  order  to  study  political  economy. 
They  had  succeeded  in  procuring  a  copy  of  the  lec- 
tures then  delivered  at  the  University  of  Paris  by  a 
distinguished  Italian  exile,  formerly  professor  at  Bo- 
logna, and  now  made  by  Louis  Philippe  a  peer  of 
France, — I  mean  PeUegrino  Rossi,  a  great  economist. 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  105 

They  had  also  a  copy  of  Beccaria,  and  some  other 
books,  all  of  a  moderate  and  conservative  character. 

The  method  of  mutual  instruction  adopted  by  the 
party,  and  the  earnestness  with  which  they  followed 
it,  made  their  transactions  very  pleaising  and  instruct- 
ive. I  did  not  take  an  active  part,  being  too  young, 
and  not  sufficiently  advanced  in  other  studies.  The 
most  prominent  among  them  was  the  brother  of  a 
cardinal,  a  middle-aged  man,  who  had  been  engaged 
in  the  revolution  of  the  year  1831.  The  conferences 
were  held  in  his  apartment,  which  was  in  the  palace 
of  his  brother,  but  had  a  private  access. 

The  regular  meetings  went  on  very  well  for  some 
time;  but  at  length  the  police  tracked  us.  An  im- 
mediate descent  upon  us  was  impossible,  because 
the  palace  of  a  cardinal,  with  all  its  dependencies, 
is  as  inviolable  as  his  "  sacred  person,"  there  being 
no  tribunal  to  try  a  cardinal,  either  for  criminal 
conduct,  or  for  his  debts  and  obligations.  But  our 
case  had  excited  so  much  suspicion  and  alarm  that 
Monsignor,  the  governor  of  Rome,  applied  to  the 
pope,  who  gave  him  a  note  to  the  cardinal  to  this 
effect : 

"  A  party  of  bad-intentioned  young  men  having 
found  a  way  to  shelter  their  lawless  meetings  under 
the  roof  of  your  Eminence,  who  certainly  knows  noth- 
ing about  the  matter.  We  request  your  Eminence  to 
allow  a  descent  of  the  police  upon  them." 

One  of  our  party  was  reading  a  dissertation  which 
he  had  prepared  on  the  subject, — ^' Merit  and  rewards 
in  society  ; "  and  we  were  all  very  attentive  to  him. 

"  Your  reward  will  be  a  prison,  rascals  !  "  suddenly 
interrupted  the  harsh  voice  of  a  papal  police-officer, 


106  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

while  his  shirri,  with  pistols  and  daggers,  surrounded 
us,  crying,  "(7M  si  move  e  morto  "  (whoever  stirs  shall 
be  killed). 

We  had  no  better  arms  than  some  books,  paper,  and 
pens,  which,  however,  were  seized  immediately.  No 
arrests  were  made,  owing  to  the  place  in  which  we 
were ;  but  the  oflScer  registered  accurately  the  names 
of  the  whole  of  the  party.  For  some  days  we  lived 
in  constant  fear  of  being  arrested.  But  the  cardinal, 
wanting  to  save  his  brother,  saved  the  whole  of  the 
party,  at  least  from  immediate  persecution. 

This  first  experiment  in  joining  a  secret  association 
was  certainly  not  promising;  but  I  now  felt  more 
anxious  than  ever  to  be  formally  admitted  to  the 
"  Young  Italy.'' 

A  few  days  after  this,  Mattia  called  at  our  house 
when  I  was  breakfasting  with  my  parents.  I  had 
introduced  him  on  a  former  occasion  to  my  mother, 
and  now  I  was  about  to  present  him  to  my  father. 
But  Mattia  introduced  himself  much  better  than  I 
could  have  done.  They  went  together  into  my 
father's  study,  and  had  there  a  short  private  conver- 
sation, and  then,  coming  back  to  the  dining-room, 
Mattjii  said  to  me, 

"  I  come  to  propose  to  you  to  go  out  hunting  with 
me  to-morrow  morning." 

I  answered  that  I  was  very  happy  to  accept  the 
invitation ;  and,  after  having  made  some  arrangements 
about  it,  Mattia  took  his  leave.  I  was  not  a  good 
sportsman,  nor  very  fond  of  hunting ;  but  I  often  went 
with  my  gun  to  the  country,  because  the  campagnay 
deserted  and  desolate  as  it  is,  had  a  mysterious  attrac- 
tion for  me.  Some  traveller  has  compared  the  "  cam- 
pagna "  of  Rome  to  thei  corpse  of  a  handsome  lady. 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  107 

There  is  certainly  no  appearance  of  life ;  but  the  body 
exhibits  uncommon  strength  and  health,  and  we  feel 
that  a  little  care  would  restore  it,  as  if  it  were  but 
just  drowned.  The  body  does  not  impress  us  with 
the  horror  of  death,  but  with  an  anxious  desire  to 
bring  it  again  to  life. 

Here  and  there  amidst  those  desolate  fields  we  find 
a  gigantic  Pelasgian  wall,  an  Etrurian  tomb,  a  Latin 
ruin,  or  a  Koman  aqueduct,  like  the  bones  of  a  gigan- 
tic race  which  lived  before  us.  Euins,  belonging 
to  many  different  nations  and  distant  ages,  are  now 
mingled  upon  that  earth,  which  is  nothing  but  a  great 
ruin.  There,  near  the  remains  of  Yeii,  is  the  dilap- 
idated tomb  of  Nero,  and  the  gigantic  arches  of  the 
aqueduct  cross  a  ground  pierced  through  in  every 
direction  by  subterranean  galleries ;  for  the  catacombs 
are  not  to  be  found  in  Kome  alone,  but  everywhere 
in  its  territory. 

The  greatest  attraction,  however,  was,  that  there 
alone  in  the  desert  I  felt  I  was  free  —  entirely  free  ; 
so  that  I  breathed  freely,  walked  erect,  and,  like  a 
madman,  uttered  and  repeated  to  the  winds,  with  the 
whole "  strength  of  my  voice,  those  words  which  I 
could  not  safely  utter  in  Rome ;  and,  after  long  shout- 
ing Italia  e  liherta,  I  felt  my  burning  heart  greatly 
relieved,  and  my  mind  filled  with  the  most  generous 
and  lofty  aspirations.  Indeed,  I  never  felt  my  soul 
more  elevated  to  God  than  in  those  moments. 

Often,  while  sitting  on  a  small  hill,  with  no  compan- 
ions but  the  singing  birds  and  some  wild  horses,  oxen, 
and  buffaloes  scattered  around,  I  watched  the  sublime 
spectacle  of  sunrise.  Then  I  felt  alone  with  my  God  ; 
my  prayers  flowed  from  my  heart  like  water  from 
a  fountain;  and  I  enjoyed  sweet,  unbounded  conso- 


108  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

lation.  We  may  no  doubt  be  alone  with  God,  and 
elevate  our  minds  to  him,  in  every  place ;  but  there 
nature  itself  praised  the  Creator;  the  air  was  pure 
from  contamination ;  there  was  no  smoke  of  incense 
ojffered  to  idols;  nor  did  I  behold  the  spectacle  of 
men  worshipping  pictures  and  statues,  the  work  of 
their  own  hands.  In  short,  there  I  was  free,  and 
could  open  my  whole  heart  without  fear  that  some 
spy  was  listening  to  my  half-uttered  words,  or  watch- 
ing the  movements  of  my  countenance  in  order  to 
divine  my  thoughts  and  denounce  them. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

A   CATACOMB   NEAR  VEIL 

Early  in  the  morning  I  heard  the  concerted  signal 
from  Mattia,  and  dressed  myself  in  haste  in  order  to 
join  him.  At  the  gate  called  "  Del  Popolo"  we  showed 
our  regular  licenses  for  hunting,  and,  opening  the 
wicket,  the  sentinel  let  us  go  out.  We  crossed  the 
ancient  bridge  Milvius,  now  "Ponte  Molle,"  where 
Constantino  defeated  Maxentius;  and,  leaving  "Via 
Cassia  "  on  our  left,  we  entered  the  open  field.  There 
was  no  moon,  but  the  morning  stars  were  bright,  and 
dawn  began  to  appear  in  the  east.  A  solemn  quiet 
reigned  in  that  solitude.  We  were  the  only  beings 
moving  throughout  it,  and  proceeded  silently,  as  if 
afraid  of  breaking  the  universal  stillness,  till  we  arrived 
at  the  remains  of  the  ancient  city  of  Veii. 

^'  Let  us  stop  here  a  moment,"  said  Mattia,  pointing 
to  a  broken  column,  upon  which  we  sat  down ;  and 
then  he  told  me  that  he  intended  to  introduce  me  into 
the  secret  society  of  the  Italian  patriots,  according 
to  the  desire  which  I  had  often  manifested.  I  was 
exceedingly  pleased  at  this,  but  could  not  avoid  feel- 
ing a  sense  of  mysterious  trepidation,  thinking  that  I 
should  probably  be  subject  to  trials  of  which  I  had 
but  few  and  indistinct  ideas.  Mattia,  perhaps  conjec- 
10  (109) 


110  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

turing  my  thoughts,  added,  "  Our  society  has  no  mys- 
terious initiations  and  trials.  We  seek  for  secrecy, 
and  meet  in  secluded  places,  only  to  avoid  useless 
victims." 

Just  then  an  old  man,  evidently  a  shepherd,  came  to 
us,  saying,  "  Good  morning,  brethren.  The  birds  are 
in  the  nest." 

"  Let  us  go  to  them,"  replied  Mattia ;  and,  following 
the  old  shepherd  some  distance  over  that  undulating 
surface,  we  came  to  a  little  bushy  valley,  when  the 
shepherd,  drawing  aside  some  shrubbery,  uncovered 
an  entrance,  almost  blocked  up,  but  still  with  a  suffi- 
cient opening  to  admit  the  passage  of  a  man's  body. 
I  had  seen  many  such  entrances  leading  to  the  cata- 
combs widely  spread  throughout  all  the  territory  of 
Rome ;  so  that  I  understood  it,  and  entered  without 
hesitation.  Our  guide  lighted  a  little  lamp  and  led 
us  through  a  corridor  about  six  feet  wide  and  nine 
feet  high,  extending  far  off  in  the  darkness. 

That  corridor  was  cut  out  in  the  bed  of  "  puzzolana," 
as  are  all  the  corridors  of  the  catacombs ;  for  these 
excavations  have  been  continued  from  the  earliest 
antiquity  down  to  our  days,  in  order  to  dig  out  puzzo- 
lana.  This  is  a  kind  of  volcanic  production,  the  best 
cement  known.  It  is  very  easy  to  dig  it  with  a  com- 
mon spade ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  want  of  solidity, 
the  corridors,  holes,  and  rooms  cut  out  in  those  beds 
of  puzzolana  stand  uninjured  much  better  than  ma- 
sonry would  do ;  and,  after  perhaps  three  thousand 
years,  the  form  of  the  instrument  with  which  they 
were  dug  may  yet  be  seen.  Besides,  puzzolana  gives 
no  passage  to  water.  This  explains  how,  formerly, 
a  population  of  true  believers  might  be  sheltered  in 
tlie  catacombs  near  and  under  Rome,  and  how  these 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  Ill 

retreats «  could    be   ornamented   and   converted  into 
chapels  or  burial-places. 

We  soon  reached  a  place  where  the  corridor  was 
divided  into  three  avenues,  leading  to  different  points. 
At  the  entrance  of  one  of  these  avenues  there  was  a 
broad  flat  stone,  which  was  removed  by  our  guldens 
opening  the  mouth  of  a  narrow  well,  through  which 
Mattia  and  myself  were  lowered  by  means  of  a  rope, 
and  then  the  shepherd  closed  the  hole  over  our  heads, 
and  probably  went  to  his  business,  carrying  with  him 
the  lamp. 

We  were  now  in  a  second  corridor,  some  twelve  feet 
below  the  first,  and  probably  cut  out  in  the  same  man- 
ner ;  and,  passing  on  in  the  darkness,  we  soon  arrived 
at  the  end  of  the  corridor.  Then  Mattia  whistled  in  a 
peculiar  manner  three  times,  and  soon  after  a  ray  of  ^ 
light  came  to  us  from  a  distant  part  of  a  new  corridor, 
which  was  at  our  side.  The  light,  which  was  red*, 
turned  white,  then  green,  and  soon  after  disappeared. 

Advancing  along  that  new  corridor,  we  came  to  a 
"  luminaria,"  that  is,  one  of  those  air-holes,  like  wells, 
intended  to  give  fresh  air,  especially  to  the  second  or 
third  story  of  the  catacombs,  for  those  who  were  en- 
gaged in  digging  6ut  the  puzzolana.  I  saw  a  faint 
ray  of  daylight  through  that  luminaria,  which  gave  me 
much  pleasure.  Soon  after,  we  came  to  a  place  where 
Mattia,  opening  a  little  door,  introduced  me  into  one 
of  those  enlargements  which  are  often  to  be  found  in 
the  catacombs.  It  was  now  illuminated,  and  furnished 
much  like  a  room,  and  within  there  were  five  gentle- 
men sitting  at  a  small  table.  Mattia  told  them  my 
name,  and  said  that  I  wished  to  become  a  fellow- 
laborer  in  their  work,  adding,  "  My  friend,  though  very 
young,  is  a  prudent  and  trustworthy  fellow :  besides 


112  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

my  own  knowledge  of  him,  I  have  the  word  of  his 
father,  who  is  well  known  among  us." 

The  president  of  that  small  meeting  politely  invited 
me  to  sit  down.  I  knew  him  well,  but  did  not  dare 
either  to  show  it  or  to  speak  a  word.  He  perceived 
my  embarrassment,  and  hastened  to  say,  "  Be  not  un- 
easy, my  young  friend ;  here  we  are  all  brethren.  Our 
association  is  founded  on  the  principle  of  mutual  love, 
and  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  forms  and  means  of 
terror  formerly  used  by  secret  societies.  Our  aim  and 
our  doctrines  are  not  a  mystery, —  only,  living  under 
despotism,  we  are  forced  to  meet  in  secret  places,  and 
to  conceal  the  names  of  our  associates.'^ 

At  this,  feeling  much  encouraged,  I  said,  "  It  is  well 
that  you  know  me  and  my  family.  My  grandfather 
was  a  martyr  for  Italy ;  my  father  has  done  all  in  his 
'power  for  the  same  cause ;  and  I  intend  to  follow  their 
example." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  your  enthusiasm  for  our  unhappy 
country,"  replied  the  president ;  "  but  let  me  remind 
you  that,  to  be  our  fellow-laborer,  you  must  have  un- 
common strength,  both  to  control  yourself  and  to  bear 
firmly  whatever  may  happen  to  you.  If  you  do  not 
feel  such  strength  in  yourself,  do  not  join  us ;  you 
may  be  useful  to  your  country  in  other  ways.  You 
are  still  perfectly  free  to  go  out  without  making  any 
engagements." 

To  these  words  of  the  president,  I  answered  that  I 
was  firmly  determined  to  work  with  them,  and  was 
ready  even  to  meet  death  on  the  scafi'old  for  my  na- 
tive country. 

"  That  is  well,  but  not  enough,"  observed  the  presi- 
dent ;  "  there  is  something  worse  than  death  on  the 
scaffold.     In  that  solemn  moment  your  enthusiasm  is 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  113 

excited  by  the  occasion,  by  the  sympathizing  multi- 
tude of  spectators,  and  by  the  idea  of  setting  a  noble 
example,  and  leaving  a  glorious  memory.  But,  if  you 
were  confined  in  a  dark  dungeon  for  years ;  tortured 
with  hunger,  loss  of  sleep,  heavy  chains,  beating,  and 
all  the  ill-treatment  invented  by  our  tyrants,  and  were 
to  die  a  slow  death  there,  conscious  that  your  sacrifice 
would  be  unknown  to  all  but  your  executioners,  in- 
terested in  calumniating  your  memory,  —  what  should 
you  think  of  this  ?  " 

"  I  think  that  the  idea  of  doing  my  duty,  the  ap- 
proval of  my  conscience,  and  the  presence  of  a  just 
God,  would  make  me  quite  submissive  to  my  fate.  I 
feel  that  a  life  bought  by  cowardly  treason  would  be 
more  bitter  than  such  a  death." 

"  Well,'^  said  the  president ;  "  but  let  us  consider 
another  case,  less  dreadful,  but  perhaps  more  tanta- 
lizing. If  you  succeed  in  making  your  escape,  after 
some  unsuccessful  attempt  or  otherwise,  you  must 
first  abandon  your  country,  your  mother,  your  lady- 
love, and  everything  dear  to  you,  and  then  seek  for 
shelter  in  foreign  lands,  followed  by  the  habitual  cal- 
umnies on  the  conquered,  and  persecuted  everywhere 
by  the  impious  sect  of  the  Jesuits.  You  will  be 
obhged  to  fly  from  land  to  land,  meeting  everywhere 
with  contempt  or  barren  compassion;  you  will  feel 
how  bitter  is  the  bread  of  the  exile,  —  how  painful  it 
is  to  give  up  the  long-cherished  dreams  of  an  honor- 
able career,  and  of  a  sweet  home,  with  a  lovely  wife 
and  children ;  and  then,  sick  at  heart,  in  sorrow  and  in 
misery,  you  will  have  constantly  before  your  eyes 
the  doors  of  your  home  opening  if  you  become  a 

traitor  " 

10* 


114  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

"  I  would  rather  die  a  thousand  times/'  interrupted 
I,  indignantly;  and  the  president,  pleased  with  my 
answers,  went  on  to  explain  the  peculiar  duties  im- 
posed on  the  members  of  the  association. 

"  We  want  to  free  ourselves/'  said  he,  "  before  at- 
tempting to  deliver  from  slavery  our  native  country. 
The  man  who  has  no  control  over  his  passions  is  not 
free,  and  he  who  indulges  his  sensual  appetites  will 
never  be  able  to  do  anything  generous  and  great. 
Worse  even  is  he  who  betrays  another's  confidence, 
and  destroys  the  peace  of  an  hospitable  roof  On  this 
point  we  are  very  severe.  If  you  wish  to  join  us  you 
must  be  sober  and  temperate,  and,  above  all,  strictly 
honorable  in  your  intercourse  with  the  other  sex. 
God  has  given  to  Italy  the  loveliest  of  women:  to 
make  them  objects  of  degradation,  or  to  elevate  them 
to  the  dignity  of  powerful  instruments  of  regenera- 
tion, depends  upon  our  conduct." 

This  admonition  was  rather  too  early  at  my  age, 
inasmuch  as  I  had  been  constantly  engaged  in  my 
studies,  scientific  visits,  and  country  excursions.  I 
blushed  a  little,  and  promised,  "  di  tutto  cuore,"  that  I 
would  constantly  observe  regular  conduct,  and  lead 
a  sober,  temperate,  and  active  life. 

"  Now,"  added  the  president,  "  I  have  a  last  word 
to  say  to  you.  We  do  not  want  atheists  among  us. 
We  do  not  pretend  to  impose  on  our  members  any 
particular  form  of  worship,  for  freedom  is  our  aim, 
both  in  religion  and  politics ;  but  Tasso  has  well  said, 
'  Non  v'ha  fede  in  uom  die  a  Dio  la  nega '  (There  is 
no  faith  in  the  man  who  denies  it  to  God) ;  so  that  we 
have  printed  on  our  flag  the  sublime  motto,  '  Dig  e 
PopOLO '  (God  and  the  people),  and  adopted  the  di- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  115 

vine  precept  to  love  God  supremely,  and  our  neigh- 
bor as  ourselves." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  I  profess  to  be  a  Christian,  pure 
from  the  abominations  of  papacy." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  answered  in  chorus  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee ;  and  one  after  the  other  they 
embraced  and  kissed  me. 

"  Shall  I  now  take  my  oath?  "  inquired  I,  as  the  ses- 
sion appeared  to  be  ended. 

"  We  want  no  oaths,"  replied  the  president.  ^'  The 
man  who  has  no  respect  for  his  word,  his  honor,  his 
Christian  duty,  would  not  be  held  by  a  thousand 
oaths.  Besides,  we  are  bound  together  by  the  same 
desire,  the  same  interests,  and  the  same  faith.  So 
long  as  we  are  honest,  no  one  will  betray  the  other ; 
and,  if  there  is  some  wicked  man  among  us,  so  much 
the  worse  for  him.  We  have  abolished  every  kind 
of  punishment  against  traitors,  and  leave  it  to  divine 
justice.  Whoever  thinks  of  betraying  us,  let  him 
know  that  he  has  not  to  fear  the  secret  vengeance  of 
our  association ;  but  our  innocent  blood  will  be  con- 
stantly before  his  eyes,  and  upon  his  head." 

At  this  the  president  shook  hands  with  me,  and  im- 
mediately directed  one  of  the  committee  to  take  me 
into  the  adjoining  room,  to  teach  me  the  doctrines 
of  the  association,  and  answer  my  questions,  as  there 
was  some  one  else  waiting  for  admission.  Mattia 
occupied  the  seat  left  vacant  by  my  new  tutor.  The 
worthy  man  who  then  filled  the  presidehtial  chair  was 
a  very  rich  merchant  of  the  "  campagna,"  namely, 
one  of  those  who  possess  there  herds  of  cattle,  and 
who  occasionally  cultivate  tracts  of  land  with  grain. 
I  can  fully  give  the  name  of  that  ardent  patriot,  for 


116  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

he  is  now  far  beyond  the  reach  of  papal  vengeance. 
He  was  Paolo  del  Grande,  who  afterwards  was  colonel 
of  the  first  Roman  legion,  and,  arms  in  hand,  met 
death  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  fighting  against 
the  Austrians  at  the  battle  of  Yicenza,  June  27, 
1848. 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

YOUNG  ITALY. 

The  room  in  the  catacombs  into  wMch  I  was  led  by 
the  new  attendant  assigned  me  by  the  president  of 
the  committee  was  much  hke  the  one  I  had  left.  The 
name  of  my  instructor  was  Fabio,  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Roman  bar.  We  sat' at  a  small  table,  on 
which  were  placed  a  lamp,  and  some  newspapers,  both 
Italian  and  French.  In  a  corner  of  the  room  was  a 
hand-press,  and  next  to  it  cases  of  types,  with  all  the 
conveniences  necessary  for  printing  a  small  sheet  of 
paper.  It  was  evidently  one  of  the  sources  of  those 
secret  newspapers  which  are  sometimes  widely  spread 
in  spite  of  the  most  vigilant  police.  I  looked  with 
curiosity  and  interest  at  these  objects,  as  well  as  at 
the  place  in  which  they  were  found. 

"  We  have  many  of  these  '  furnished  apartments,  ^  '^ 
observed  Fabio ;  "  we  have  inherited  them  from  the 
Carbonari,  who  perhaps  succeeded  to  some  other  soci- 
ety, for  these  places  have  been  often  used  for  conspir- 
acies, and  are  indeed  well  fitted  for  such  a  purpose. 
In  fact,  the  catacombs  are  very  numerous  and  exten- 
sive, and  their  labyrinths  are  traditionally  known  only 
to  a  few.  The  pretended  shepherd,  for  instance,  who 
introduced  you  here,  was  an  ancient  Carbonaro,  who 
escaped  from  prison,  and  has  lived  eighteen  years  in 

(117) 


118  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

the  catacombs.  The  agents  of  the  papal  poKce  will 
never  venture  a  search  in  such  places ;  and,  even  if 
they  should,  and  find  out  one  of  our  retreats,  we  have 
many  others,  and  everywhere  there  are  well-arranged 
means  for  escape." 

"  What  is  the  name  of  the  society  to  which  I  have 
been  admitted  ?  "  inquired  I  of  Fabio,  who  answered 
shortly,  "  La  Giovine  Italia  "  (Young  Italy). 

At  this  I  started  a  little  ;  when  Fabio,  guessing  the 
reason,  smiled,  and  said,  "  Were  you  acquainted  with 
that  name  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  was,"  said  I ;  "  for  the  official  news- 
papers of  the  government,  the  only  ones  we  are  per- 
mitted to  read,  are  too  often  filled  with  the  most 
virulent  denunciations  against  that  society;  quoting 
freely  from  the  London  Times,  the  Gazette  of  Augs- 
burgh,  L'Univers  of  Paris,  and  other  newspapers, 
which  relate  Hhe  impious  deeds  and  doctrines  of 
"Young  Italy."'  Besides,  I  have  occasionally  read 
some  of  the  writings  of  father  Bresciani  the  Jesuit, 
minutely  describing  the  awful  ceremonies  of  the  ini- 
tiation to  ^  Young  Italy,'  which  he  says  requires  an 
absolute  denial  of  Christ  and  a  self-dedication  to  Satan 
by  means  of  impious  and  bloody  mysteries." 

"  And  did  you  believe  it  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,  indeed,  and  never  will  I  believe 
anything  from  such  impure  sources ;  but  what  made 
me  start  was  the  striking  contrast  between  what  I 
have  read  and  what  I  have  seen  of  this  society.  But, 
tell  me,  why  do  they  wilfuUy  utter  and  publish  those 
impudent  falsehoods  ?  " 

"  You  must  know,"  answered  Fabio,  "  that  they  are 
men  without  honor  or  conscience.  For  them  to  lie 
is  the  same  as  for  us  to  speak  truth,  because  they  are 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  119 

in  the  habit  of  it.  Besides,  they  have  an  end  which 
some  of  them  consider  to  be  right,  and  do  not  care  for 
the  wickedness  of  the  means.  ^  Calumniez,  calumniez 
toujours,  et  quelque  chose  j  restera  toujonrs/  is  a  cap- 
ital rule  with  the  Jesuits ;  and,  if  some  of  the  news- 
papers to  which  you  allude  appear  to  be  in  opposition 
to  the  Jesuits,  it  is  only  a  jealousy  of  trade." 

"  Well,"  observed  I,  "  but  so  many  calumnies,  often 
repeated  and  widely  spread  in  every  direction,  will  at 
length  probably  ruin  our  cause,  by  throwing  it  into 
discredit  and  contempt." 

"  Be  not  afraid  of  it,  my  friend,"  answered  Fabio. 
"  Our  aim  is  just  and  right  as  well  as  our  means ;  and, 
although  we  cannot  come  forth  and  defend  ourselves, 
such  is  the  nature  of  justice  and  truth  that  they  will 
eventually  be  acknowledged. 

"  Our  association,"  added  Fabio,  "  has  for  its  object 
to  obtain  freedom  and  independence  for  Italy.  To 
achieve  it,  we  must  have  a  great  revolution,  for  which 
we  are  preparing.  In  order  to  carry  on  such  a  rev- 
olution, we  shall  have  to  fight  the  barbarous  soldiers 
of  Austria,  and  those  of  other  European  powers  sup- 
porting papacy.  But  our  revolution  does  not  consist 
in  merely  overcoming  material  obstacles.  To  break 
your  chains  is  not  to  secure  your  freedom,  when  you 
are  still  in  a  narrow  prison,  or  surrounded  by  watch- 
men. So  that,  in  order  to  destroy  religious  and  polit- 
ical despotism,  we  must  work  steadily  for  the  progress 
and  improvement  of  moral,  religious,  and  political 
ideas ;  for  these  are  the  means  of  securing  religious 
and  political  freedom." 

"  Will  it  be  possible,"  inquired  I,  "  during  the  dread- 
ful oppression  now  prevailing  ?  " 

"  It  is  at  least,"  answered  Fabio,  "  the  main  object 


120  THE  EOMAN  EXILE. 

of  our  association;  and,  so  far,  our  success  has  ex- 
ceeded our  hopes.  In  fact,  the  ancient  prejudices 
have  been  almost  entirely  destroyed ;  papacy  owes  its 
precarious  existence  to  foreign  armies ;  our  customs 
and  morals  have  been  greatly  improved,  and  an  ear- 
nest love  of  freedom  and  independence  has  been  dif- 
fused throughout  all  classes.  Yery  soon  this  love 
will  be  transformed  into  a  strong  willj  able  to  conquer 
all  obstacles. 

"  To  be  just,  however,"  added  Fabio,  "  we  must 
acknowledge  that  this  work  had  been  commenced  and 
greatly  advanced  before  us  by  the  society  of  the  Car- 
bonari. In  opposition  to  the  French  Free  Masons, 
they  rested  their  foundation  upon  Christianity,  pro- 
claiming Christ  to  be  their  Master,  and  were  so  zeal- 
ous for  good  morals  as  to  punish  their  worst  violations 
with  death.  But  there  was  too  much  of  mysticism  in 
their  doctrines,  which,  besides,  were  confined  to  a  few 
privileged  individuals,  who,  for  the  greater  part,  were 
men  of  talent,  virtue,  and  renown,  but  wanted  all  the 
qualities  which  were  necessary  to  carry  on  a  great 
revolution.  Their  energy  was  therefore  consumed  in 
a  long  preparation,  and  then  they  appeared  to  be 
frightened  even  by  the  great  elements  which  they  had 
to  make  use  of.  We  have  done  away  with  every  kind 
of  mysticism  and  mysteries,  and  have  popularized  the 
revolution." 

"  What  are  the  principal  tenets  of  the  association  ?  " 
inquired  I. 

Fabio,  showing  me  a  number  of  an  Italian  Review, 
answered,  "  This  is  a  monthly  publication  issued  abroad 
by  our  society  under  its  own  title  of  ^  Young  Italy.' 
You  will  find  on  the  first  page  a  short  exposition  of 
what  you  want." 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  121 

I  took  the  Review,  and  was  in  the  act  of  putting  it 
into  my  pocket,  when  Fabio  grasped  my  arm,  say- 
ing, "Do  not  take  it  with  you.  Last  week,  one  of 
our  associates  was  condemned  to  the  galleys  for  ten 
years  because  a  number  of  our  Review  was  found  in 
his  possession.  We  have  the  means  of  circulating  it 
safely  even  in  Rome,  and  you  shall  have  the  Review 
in  your  turn,  but  at  a  proper  time.  Now  it  is  enough 
to  look  over  with  me  this  first  page." 

"  God  and  the  People,"  read  Fabio ;  and  then  said, 
"  Keep  steadily  in  view  this  sublime  motto.  It  is  the 
programme  of  our  movement,  nay,  of  the  general 
transformation  which  is  to  happen  throughout  all  Eu- 
rope :  it  is  the  practical  application  of  the  law  which 
commands  the  love  of  God  and  of  our  neighbor.  In 
fact,  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  which  we  daily  pray,  is 
at  hand ;  when  none  will  exalt  themselves  over  others, 
saying,  ^  We  are  your  masters,'  or  JWe  are  mediators 
between  you  and  God.  •  "  ■ 

Here  Fabio  paused  a  moment,  as  if  to  give  me  time 
to  collect  my  thoughts ;  and  then  read  the  following 
sentences,  which,  having  the  book  now  before  me,  I 
can  faithfully  present : 

" '  God  and  the  People.  —  God  is  standing  at  the 
sublime  head  of  the  social  edifice :  the  People,  that  is, 
the  whole  of  our  brethren,  are  at  its  base.  God  is 
the  Father  and  Teacher ;  the  People  are  the  progres- 
sive interpreters  of  his  law. 

" '  We  ought  to  know  the  truth ;  and,  for  this  pur- 
pose, God  has  given  us  the  Tradition  (the  Bible),  the 
past  life  of  humanity,  and  the  warnings  of  our  con- 
science. 

" '  We  are  not  on  the  earth  to  work  out  here  our 
happiness :  we  can  only  obtain  it  elsewhere,  and  God 
11 


122  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

prepares  it  for  us.  Nor  have  we  the  right  to  exercise 
our  faculties  and  freedom  according  to  our  fancy: 
they  are  but  means  which  we  must  use  to  discover,  as 
far  as  we  are  able,  the  divine  law,  to  practise  it  accord- 
ing to  our  individual  powers,  and  to  diffuse  the  knowl- 
edge of  it  among  our  brethren. 

" '  We  are  on  the  earth  to  work  as  brethren  for  the 
foundation  of  the  unity  of  the  human  family,  which 
one  day  will  present  only  "  one  fold  and  one  shep- 
herd.'^ 

"  '  We  must  love.  Love  is  the  wing  of  the  soul  to 
God.  But  our  love  must  be  that  which  Dante  has 
taught  us,  —  a  love  which  draws  us  ever  heavenward 
instead  of  lowering  us  to  the  ground ;  seeking  for  a 
peace  which  is  not  to  be  found  on  earth.  Loving, 
we  must  purify,  fortify,  and  improve  ourselves,  and  do 
nothing  for  which  a  fellow-soul  should  blush  for  us, 
here  or  elsewhere. 

"'Love  your  native  country:  it  is  the  earth  whei^ 
your  fathers  sleep,  —  the  house  which  God  has  given 
you.  Devote  to  it  your  thoughts,  your  counsel,  and 
your  blood. 

" '  Rome  is  the  temple  of  our  nation,  and  there  we 
must  make  the  covenant  of  our  unity.  There  are  the 
heathen  world  and  the  world  of  the  popes ;  and  both 
are  dead.  A  third  and  a  greater  world  is  to  be  erected 
there,  —  the  world  of  the  people.  Pagan  Rome  gave 
way  to  papal  Rome ;  and  now,  pure  from  the  contam- 
ination of  both,  the  Rome  of  the  people  is  raising 
itself. 

" '  Love  humankind.  Let  us  remember  that  beyond 
the  Alps  and  the  sea  there  are  nations  of  brethren,  all 
proceeding  with  us  from  the  same  Father,  and  all 
having  the  same  high  destiny  with  us. 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  123 

" '  Have  the  greatest  respect  for  your  conscience. 
Have  constantly  upon  your  lips  the  truth  which  God 
has  placed  at  the  bottom  of  your  hearts. 

"  '  Be  tolerant  with  dissenters ;  but  keep  your  ban- 
ner steadily  erected,  and  boldly  profess  your  creed.' " 

At  this,  my  friend  Mattia  came  in,  and  said  that  the 
young  man  presented  after  me  had  been  dismissed  by 
the  committee,  who  wished  to  see  me  again.  The 
secretary  of  the  committee  presented  me  with  a  book, 
in  which  I  wrote  my  assumed  name,  and  then  the  pres- 
ident said : 

"Do  not  keep  for  yourself  alone  the  advantage  of 
being  put  in  a  good  way:  try  to  illuminate  your 
brethren  who  are  in  darkness,  and  heal  those  whose 
hearts  are  withered  by  selfishness.  You  will  receive 
orders  and  communications  through  your  friend  Mattia. 
We  have  no  general  meetings  or  general  signs  by 
which  to  recognize  each  other.  We  adopt  some  means 
of  safe  communication  and  recognizance  among  our- 
selves on  particular  occasions,  and  change  them  often. 
You  shall  know  of  them  when  you  receive  some  com- 
mission." 

After  this  and  some  other  warnings,  the  president 
dismissed  Mattia  and  me,  with  the  usual  formula, 
"  God  be  with  you,  and  bless  Italy  !  "  Then  we  went 
again  to  the  place  where  I  had  seen  the  luminaria, 
and  I  saw  there  a  rope  hanging  from  the  ground  above. 
Mattia  shook  it  three  times,  and,  the  sign  having  been 
answered  by  three  peculiar  whistles,  he  ascended  by 
the  rope,  and  I  went  after  him  very  easily,  owing  to 
the  narrowness  of  the  air-hole.  The  old  shepherd  was 
there  in  attendance.  He  cordially  shook  hands  with 
me,  warning  me  by  a  quotation  from  Dante : 


124  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

"  Che  seggendo  in  piuma 
In  fama  non  si  vien  ne  sotto  coltre  ; 
Senza  la  qual  chi  sua  vita  consuma 
Cotal  vestigio  in  terra  di  se  lascia 
Qual  fumo  in  aria  od  in  acqua  la  spuma." 

*'  For  not  on  downy  plumes,  nor  under  shade 
Of  canopy  reposing,  fame  is  won ; 
Without  which,  whosoe'er  consumes  his  day 
Leaveth  such  vestige  of  himself  on  earth 
As  smoke  in  air,  or  foam  upon  the  wave." 

Then  the  old  shepherd  desired  us  to  dine  at  his  poor 
barn.  He  had  plenty  of  fresh  milk  and  butter.  We 
had  bread,  a  bottle  of  wine,  and,  for  a  salad,  a  little 
bottle  with  olive  oil,  vinegar,  and  salt.  I  kindled  a 
fire  near  a  small  stream  and  roasted  some  birds  we 
had  shot;  while  Mattia  collected  chicory  from  the 
field  for  the  salad.  We  dined  with  good  spirits  and 
appetites.  Our  host  was  a  model  of  good  humor  and 
wit.  Instead  of  seeking  for  refuge  in  foreign  lands, 
he  had  lived  many  years  in  the  deserted  campagna, 
sheltering  himself  in  the  catacombs.  Now  he  was  so 
well  transformed  into  a  shepherd  that  no  one  would 
suspect  him  to  have  been  formerly  a  fashionable 
young  man,  and  the  intimate  friend  of  Leonida  Mon- 
tanari,  who  was  condemned  during  the  year  1823.  I 
cannot  think  of  that  old  shepherd  without  feeling  a 
deep  emotion;  for,  when  I  took  leave  of  him,  he 
strongly  grasped  my  hand,  and,  fixing  on  me  his  flash- 
ing black  eyes,  said,  "  I  will  see  you  again :  we  shall 
soon  fight  together  in  Rome.''  Years  elapsed,  and  I 
had  almost  forgotten  these  words.  One  day,  during 
the  siege  of  Rome  in  the  year  1849,  while,  with  the 
company  I  commanded,  I  was  engaged  in  an  unequal 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  125 

skirmish,  a  band  of  the  common  people  came  out  from 
St.  Pancrazio's  gate  to  rescue  us.     Their  leader  was 
struck  by  a  French  bullet,  and  we  picked  him  up  dead. 
He  was  the  old  shepherd ! 
11-^ 


/ 


CHAPTER   XVIL 

THE   PROPHET   OF  THE   IDEA. 

"  Who  was  the  founder  of  ^  Young  Italy  ? '  "  This 
question  came  to  my  mind  only  when  I  had  no  one  to 
answer  it,  namely,  during  the  restless  night  which  fol- 
lowed the  impressive  day  of  my  admission  to  that 
society.  Its  wise  principles,  and  the  style  in  which 
they  were  announced,  revealed  to  me  a  mind  of  lofty 
character  and  of  deep  convictions.  I  therefore  felt 
anxious  to  know  something  of  the  personal  qualities 
and  conduct  of  a  man  who  had  already  commanded  my 
admiration  and  affection.  The  first  thing  I  did  next 
morning  was  to  call  on  Mattia  and  put  to  him  this 
question. 

"It  was  Joseph  Mazzini,"  answered  Mattia, "  a  young 
man  of  genius  and  virtue.  He  was  a  native  of  Genoa, 
and  had  early  before  his  eyes  the  spectacle  of  that 
ancient  and  glorious  republic  destroyed,  and  then 
given  as  a  worthless  part  of  the  spoils  to  the  King  of 
Piedmont,  the  worst  of  the  petty  tyrants  who  were 
restored  by  the  Congress  of  Vienna.  Joseph  Mazzini 
was  the  only  child  of  respectable  parents;  and  his 
mother,  a  woman  of  uncommon  talent  and  learning, 
devoted  all  her  cares  to  his  education.  She  had  deep 
religious  feelings,  and  loved  freedom  with  enthusiasm ; 
her  character  was  strong  and  lofty,  and  her  manners 

(126) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  127 

modest  and  sweet.  Mazzini's  earliest  training  was  in 
such  a  school. 

"  Mazzini,  in  the  prime  of  his  youth,  was  well  de- 
scribed by  one  of  his  school-fellows  in  these  words : 
*  Mazzini  had  a  finely-shaped  head,  the  forehead  spa- 
cious and  prominent,  and  eyes  black  as  jet,  at  times 
darting  lightning.  His  complexion  was  a  pale  olive ; 
and  his  features,  remarkably  striking  altogether,  were 
set,  so  to  speak,  in  a  profusion  of  flowing  black  hair, 
which  he  wore  rather  long.  The  expression  of  his 
countenance,  grave  and  almost  severe,  was  softened 
by  a  smile  of  great  sweetness,  mingled  with  a  certain 
shrewdness,  betraying  a  rich  comic  vein.  He  spoke 
well  and  fluently  ;  and,  when  he  warmed  upon  a  sub- 
ject, there  was  a  fascinating  power  in  his  eyes,  his 
gestures,  his  voice,  his  whole  bearing,  that  was  quite 
irresistible.  His  life  was  one  of  retirement  and  study. 
The  amusements  common  with  young  men  of  his  age 
had  no  attraction  for  him.  His  library,  his  cigar,  his 
006*00,  some  occasional  walks,  rarely  in  the  daytime, 
and  always  in  solitary  places,  more  frequently  in  the 
evening  and  by  moonlight,  —  such  were  his  pleasures. 
His  morals  were  irreproachable ;  his  conversation  was 
always  chaste.  If  any  of  the  young  companions  ho 
gathered  round  him  occasionally  indulged  in  some 
wanton  jest  or  expression  of  double  meaning,  Mazzini, 
God  bless  him !  would  put  an  immediate  stop  to  it  by 
some  one  word,  which  never  failed  of  its  effect.  Such 
was  the  influence  that  the  purity  of  his  life  and  his 
incontestable  superiority  gave  to  him. 

"  •  He  was  well  versed  in  history,  and  in  the  liter- 
ature not  only  of  his  own  but  of  foreign  countries. 
Shakspeare,  Byron,  Goethe,  Schiller,  were  as  familiar 
to  him  as  Dante  and  Alfieri.     Spare  and  thin  in  body, 


128  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

he  had  an  iuclefatigably  active  mind.  He  wrote  much 
and  well;  both  in  prose  and  verse ;  and  there  was 
hardly  a  subject  he  had  not  attempted,  —  historical 
essays,  literary  criticisms,  tragedies,  &c.  A  passionate 
lover  of  liberty  under  every  shape,  there  breathed  in 
his  fiery  soul  an  indomitable  spirit  of  revolt  against 
tyranny  and  oppression  of  every  sort.  Kind  and  gen- 
erous, he  never  refused  advice  or  service ;  and  his 
amply-furnished  library,  as  well  as  his  well-filled  purse, 
were  always  at  the  command  of  his  friends.' 

"  Mazzini  has  since,"  added  Mattia,  "  gone  far  be- 
yond the  brilliant  hopes  of  his  early  friends.  He  con- 
ceived the  plan  of  '  Young  Italy '  in  the  prime  of  his 
youth,  and  carried  it  out  when  he  was  scarcely  twe-nty- 
two  years  old,  and  an  exile  from  Italy.  '  Young  Italy' 
was  an  entirely  new  creation  of  the  powerful  genius 
of  Mazzini,  who  proved  to  be  the  prophet  of  a  new 
era  for  Europe,  of  which  he  laid  the  foundations.  It 
has  been  said  that  Mazzini  is  an  idealist,  and  that  his 
sentiments  are  obscure  and  unfit  for  a  practical  object ; 
but  he  addressed  himself  to  the  people,  and  especially 
to  the  young,  who  fully  understood  him,  and  received 
his  doctrines  with  enthusiasm.  ^  Young  Italy '  made 
the  tour  of  Italy  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning,  and  its 
doctrines  were  immediately  embraced  by  all  the  best 
Italian  youth.  Nay,  the  influence  of  those  doctrines 
was  felt  even  beyond  the  Alps,  and  Mazzini  was  called 
to  lay  the  foundation  of  ^  Young  Switzerland,'  ^  Young 
France,'  and  ^  Young  Europe,'  all  with  the  same  views. 

"  This  rapid  and  wonderful  success  arose,  of  course, 
merely  from  the  justice  of  Mazzini's  principles ;  for  he 
was  a  young  man,  alone,  exiled,  and  rich  only  in  talent 
and  virtue,  besides  having  to  struggle  against  numer- 
ous difficulties  and  persecutions.     In  fact,  he  had  early 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  129 

entered  the  secret  society  of  the  Carbonari,  with 
which  he  was  soon  disgusted,  and  they  were  the  first 
to  oppose  him.  The  King  of  France,  placed  upon  the 
throne  by  a  revolution,  became  alarmed  at  the  pro- 
gress of  '  Young  Italy,'  and  bitterly  persecuted  its 
founder,  who  succeeded  in  finding  a  shelter  in  Swit- 
zerland. But,  alas !  the  Swiss  republicans,  basely 
obeying  the  commands  of  Austria,  expelled  Mazzini 
from  their  territory.  Even  the  boundless  hospitality 
of  England  was  abused  against  him,  and  two  min- 
isters, Aberdeen  and  Graham,  attempting  to  ruin  him 
and  his  cause,  brought  a  shameful  stain  upon  their 
names  by  base  intrigues. 

"  Besides,  Mazzini  has  been  the  object  of  constant 
and  numberless  calumnies  by  the  venal  press  of  all 
Europe,  charging  him  with  atrocious  crimes,  and 
attributing  to  him  impious  doctrines.  Many  of  his 
dearest  friends  deserted  his  cause,  and  his  attempts  in 
Italy  were  all  unsuccessful.  But  nothing  could  pros- 
trate Mazzini,  and  the  confidence  of  the  people  in 
him  was  not  in  the  least  shaken  or  diminished. 
Amidst  the  storms  of  his  eventful  life  Mazzini  has 
been  constantly  firm,  calm,  and  confident,  though 
deeply  afiected.  His  whole  appearance  shows  a  life 
of  trial  and  suffering ;  but  his  manners  and  address 
are  still  simple  and  unassuming,  and  his  conversation 
charming. 

"  Faith,"  added  Mattia,  "  is  the  secret  of  Mazzini's 
strength  and  success.  He  believes  and  trusts  in  the 
justice  of  God,  and  foresees  its  triumph  among  the 
people.  He  believes,  also,  and  relies  on,  the  virtue  of 
men ;  thinking  that,  although  there  is  much  corruption 
in  the  present  state  of  society,  the  great  mass  of  the 
people  preserve  the  sentiment  of  justice,  and  the  feel- 


130  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

ings  of  generosity.  To  those  persons  his  appeals  are 
directed,  especially  to  those  of  young  hearts.  He 
relies  upon  the  masses,  instead  of  expecting  the  na- 
tional regeneration  from  a  corrupt  aristocracy,  from 
men  of  genius,  or  from  a  king.  Everything  is  to  be 
achieved  by  the  people  and  for  the  people.  The 
youth  of  the  land,  endowed  v^ith  unshaken  faith,  vir- 
gin love,  and  ardent  enthusiasm,  must  achieve  the 
work,  impeded  by  the  temporizing  policy  of  timid 
men,  disheartened  by  want  of  faith,  and  corrupted  by 
selfishness. 

"  Mazzini  found  the  Italians  bitterly  disappointed 
by  the  fallacious  promises  and  vain  boasting  of  the 
French  revolutionists,  and  perceived  that  the  leaders 
of  the  national  movement  had  lost  the  confidence  of 
the  people.  He  warned  the  Italians  not  to  depend 
upon  foreign  help,  to  do  away  with  the  prestige  of 
great  men,  and  trust  only  in  God  and  themselves; 
because  their  cause  was  just,  and  they  were  twenty- 
four  millions  of  people.  Besides,  said  he,  all  the 
people  of  Europe  are  ready  for  the  movement,  and 
the  initiative  taken  by  the  Italians  will  be  followed  by 
many.  Nay,  Mazzini  thinks  that  the  initiative  belongs 
to  the  Italians,  and  that  they  must  not  give  up  its 
advantages.'' 

Mattia  spoke  with  enthusiasm,  for  he  knew  Mazzini 
personally,  and  had  made  a  journey  to  London  solely 
to  see  him.  I  listened  to  Mattia  with  great  pleasure. 
The  wise  principles  of  "  Young  Italy "  had  already 
made  on  my  heart  a  deep  impression,  as  they  were  in 
accordance  with  my  personal  feelings.  Now  to  know 
that  the  founder  of  that  society  was  a  great  mar, 
whose  sober,  chaste,  indefatigable,  and  virtuous  life 
was  a  practical  example  of  the  principles  he  had  pro 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  131 

claimed,  gave  me  the  greatest  satisfaction.  On  one 
point,  however,  I  wished  to  know  the  opinion  of  Mat- 
tia.  ^'  They  say,"  observed  I,  ''  that  Mazzini  is  rash  in 
his  attempts,  and  that  he  has  sacrificed  the  lives  of 
many  generous  young  men." 

"  It  is  very  easy,"  answered  Mattia,  "  to  find  fault 
with  the  leader  of  an  unsuccessful  movement,  because 
he  cannot  come  forth  to  vindicate  his  plan,  and  give 
the  reasons  of  his  failure ;  besides,  it  is  a  common 
disposition  with  men  to  praise  success  and  blame  mis- 
fortune. But  I  tell  you  that  the  accusers  of  Mazzini 
are  his  enemies,  or  those  few  selfish  Italians  who,  un- 
willing to  do  anything  for  their  country,  take  every 
occasion  to  slander  any  one  who  does  better  than 
themselves.  The  sacrifice  of  a  generous  young  man 
excites  their  hypocritical  zeal,  inasmuch  as  they  do 
not  feel  capable  of.  denying  themselves  a  glass  of 
wine,  or  of  going  to  the  theatre  five  minutes  later, 
though  it  would  save  Italy.  But  among  all  those 
generous  youths  who  have  lost  their  property,  their 
homes,  or  their  lives,  not  one  has  directed  a  reproof 
to  Mazzini,  not  one  has  denied  the  principles  of  our 
association." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

GOOD  NAMES  AND   BAD  THINGS. 

I  HAD  spent  almost  the  whole  of  a  rainy  day  wan- 
dering through  the  immense  galleries  of  the  Vatican 
Museum ;  and  now,  the  sun  having  shone  out  from 
among  the  clouds,  I  felt  inclined  to  take  a  walk  in  the 
open  air,  and  directed  my  steps  towards  the  nearest 
gate,  called  Porta  Cavalleggeri.  I  had  gone  but  a 
short  way,  leaving  on  my  left  the  Piazza  di  S.  Pietro, 
when  I  found  myself  in  a  narrow  and  dirty  street, 
called  "Via  del  S.  Uffizio,"  the  Street  of  the  Holy  Office, 
and,  soon  after,  a  large  marble  palace  was  before  me, 
with  its  Latin  inscription,  "  Palatium  Sanctae  Pomanse 
Inquisitionis,"  the  Palace  of  the  Holy  Roman  Inquisi- 
tion. As  I  could  not  avoid  feeling  a  shudder  of  hor- 
ror while  passing  through  those  infamous  places,  I 
was,  for  the  first  time,  struck  by  the  epithet  of  "  holy  " 
applied  to  impious  things. 

"  Holy  office  I  holy  Inquisition !  '^  I  muttered  be- 
tween my  teeth,  proceeding  slowly  and  thoughtfully ; 
when  a  gentleman,  putting  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder 
in  a  friendly  manner,  inquired  of  what  I  was  thinking. 
It  was  Fabio,  my  instructor  in  the  catacombs :  he  also 
was  inclined  to  take  a  walk,  and  we  went  together 
out  of  the  city.     Then  I  told  him  my  impressions. 

"  God   only  is  holy,"  observed   Fabio ;   "  but  the 

(132) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  133 

popes,  in  their  pretended  quality  of  ^  great  vicars  of 
God  on  earth/  have  applied  to  themselves  the  epithet 
of  *  holy/  nay,  of  '  very  holy '  ( santissimo ) ;  and  their 
hohness  is  so  abundant  that  a  constant  emanation 
flows  from  it  to  sanctify  everything  belonging  to 
them  or  proceeding  from  them.  ^  Holy  and  apostolic' 
are  the  three  immense  palaces  which  the  popes  have 
erected  for  themselves  with  unparalleled  luxury ;  ^  holy 
and  apostolic  '  is  the  chair  on  which  they  sit,  and  the 
bed  in  which  they  sleep ;  and  ^  holy '  must  be  all  the 
tribunals,  because  the  pope  is  the  only  supreme  judge. 
Therefore  we  have  the  ^  Holy  Rota,'  '  Holy  Consulta,' 
^Holy  Signatura,'  ^Holy  Inquisition,'  &c.  But  the 
people  accept  the  word  '  holy '  in  the  same  sense  that 
our  ancestors  called  the  infernal  furies  pious." 

^^  Your  explanation  is  good,"  said  I  j  "  but  such 
profanation  is  too  revolting." 

"You  will  see  something  worse  by  and  b}^,"  an- 
swered Fabio.  "  For  instance,  do  you  know  anything 
about  the  secret  Society  of  the  Holy  Faith?" 

"  I  have  heard,"  answered  I,  "  of  a  great  many 
iniquities  committed  by  that  society,  and  have  read  in 
the  history  of  Coletta  the  almost  incredible  excesses 
which  were  perpetrated  by  its  members,  when  armed 
and  headed  by  Cardinal  Rufo ;  but  I  have  not  a  clear 
idea  of  its  organization." 

"  You  ought  to  be  acquainted  with  it,"  replied  Fabio, 
"  because  our  society  is  constantly  in  trouble  on  ac- 
count of  that  sect.  We  know  the  Society  of  the  Holy 
Faith  more  from  its  exploits  than  otherwise ;  but  the 
judicial  trials  made  by  order  of  Napoleon  against  some 
of  its  members,  who  are  called  San/edisti,  revealed 
something  of  its  origin  and  organization.  When  the 
Jesuits  were  persecuted  as  a  public  nuisance  by  aU 
12 


134  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

the  .Catholic  courts  of  Europe,  and  then  suppressed 
by  a  bull  of  Pope  Clement  XIV.,  during  the  year  1773, 
they  formed  themselves  into  a  secret  society  called 
'  The  Society  of  the  Holy  Faith.' 

"  Some  bishops  and  other  ecclesiastical  dignitaries 
of  great  influence  were  then  and  afterwards  admitted 
into  the  society.  Its  members  styled  themselves  Pa- 
dri  Sanfedisti,  and  preserved  the  views  of  their  order, 
adopting,  however,  new  and  more  perfidious  means. 
Soon  after,  they  founded  a  kind  of  brotherhood  called 
Fratdli  Sanfedisti^  all  laymen,  generally  belonging  to 
the  lower  classes.  They  know  nothing  of  the  secret 
aim  and  organization  of  the  society ;  they  are  bound 
only  to  obey  the  orders  which  they  receive,  without 
inquiring  into  them,  because  even  bad  means  are  sanc- 
tified by  the  good  end  which  the  leaders  have  in  view. 

"  These  blind  executioners  of  the  will  of  their  lead- 
ers are  generally  men  who  have  committed  horrible 
sins  and  crimes,  and  have  been  allured  into  the  society 
as  the  means  of  making  atonement,  and  of  securing 
their  eternal  salvation,  as  weU  as  their  present  immu- 
nity. They  will,  therefore,  occasionally  indulge  in 
new  crimes  without  any  restraint.  The  horrible  oaths 
which  they  take  are  well  known,  having  been  often 
published  since  they  were  discovered.'^ 

"  It  is  dreadful  to  think,"  said  I,  ^^  that  we  have  among 
us  such  ruffians,  strengthened  by  a  secret  association 
and  fanaticized  by  impious  leaders.  But  tell  me,  do 
you  think  there  are  many  of  them  ?  " 

^<  No ;  and,  besides,  they  are  more  remarkable  for 
their  impious  cruelty  than  for  their  courage.  Capable 
of  poisoning  and  assassination,  they  cannot  fight,  being 
cowards,  as  all  wicked  men  are.  Four  years  ago,  for 
instance,  the  pope  was  prevailed  upon  to  organize 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  135 

those  brothers  Sanfedisti  into  a  military  body,  in  or- 
der to  keep  down  the  liberal  party.  A  certain  Berto- 
lazzi,  commissioned  by  the  pope,  enrolled  sixty  thou- 
sand of  them,  and  gave  them  arms.  He  was  a  well- 
known  and  daring  leader  of  highwaymen ;  and  now, 
having  such  a  great  force,  could  not  help  indulging 
in  some  exploits  so  wicked  that  the  pope,  sparing 
his  life,  ordered  him  to  be  shut  up  in  the  '  holy  office ' 
for  life.  But  those  sixty  thousand  armed  ruffians  still 
remain,  and  are  a  great  trouble  to  the  honest  and 
totally  unarmed  population;  so  that  we  hear  fre- 
quently of  crimes,  offences,  and  revenge.  But,  were 
there  not  foreign  soldiers,  no  one  of  these  rascals 
would  dare  to  stir ;  and  you  may  depend  upon  it  that, 
in  case  of  a  revolution,  not  one  of  them  would  fire 
a  gun  for  the  support  of  the  pope." 

^'  Do  you  believe  that  the  pope  has  really  organized 
them  in  order  that  they  should  exercise  an  intolerable 
oppression  upon  the  other  citizens  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  it  was  not  his  intention,'^  answered  Fabio ; 
"  but,  by  his  giving  arms,  privileges,  and  power  to  such 
people,  abuses  must  be  a  matter  of  course,  and  redress 
becomes  impossible.  In  fact,  these  wicked  men  are 
bound  among  themselves  to  support  each  other ;  and 
to  bring  false  testimony,  to  silence  true  witnesses, 
and  ruin  their  opponents,  is  for  them  an  easy  matter. 
Besides,  the  officers  of  the  police  and  the  judges  often 
belong  either  to  the  Padri  Sanfedisti  or  to  the  Fro- 
tdli  Sanfedisti.  Not  long  ago,  for  example,  a  young 
man,  belonging  to  a  rich  and  noble  family  of  Cesena, 
met  here  in  the  Corso  one  of  those  ruffians  called  Vir- 
ginio  Alpi,  who,  without  any  provocation,  and  only 
because  the  youth  looked  at  him,  slapped  his  face, 
and  knocked   him  down  with  a  pistol.     The  injured 


136  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

youth  applied  to  the  tribunal,  and  made  a  complaint ; 
the  offender  complained  also,  and  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing his  own  exculpation  and  the  condemnation  of  the 
young  man  to  six  months'  imprisonment. 

"Hence  it  is,"  added  Fabio,  "that  highwaymen  and 
brigands  cannot  be  extirpated  in  our  state,  and  that 
they  are  a  dreadful  plague,  as  well  as  a  great  shame  to 
our  country  in  the  eyes  of  foreigners.  These  ruffians 
belong  invariably  to  the  ^  Society  of  the  Holy  Faith,^ 
and  have  protectors,  and  often  accomplices,  among 
the  police,  as  well  as  among  the  prosecuting  officers 
and  judges.  To  detect  and  imprison  them  is  therefore 
very  difficult,  and  it  is  even  more  difficult  to  convict 
them.  The  government  itself  is  often  baffled  with 
impunity  by  a  band  of  ruffians,  and,  to  get  rid  of  them, 
sometimes  resorts  to  wicked  and  dishonorable  means." 

"  Is  it  true,"  inquired  I,  "  that  some  years  ago  the 
papal  government  signed  a  capitulation  with  a  band 
of  highwaymen,  headed  by  a  famous  assassin  called 
Gasperone  ?  " 

"  Too  true,"  answered  Fabio ;  "  and  I  remember  it 
well,  because  I  lost  on  that  occasion  my  nephew,  a 
child,  and  one  thousand  dollars  which  I  had  given  to 
save  his  life." 

"  Tell  me  the  story,"  said  I. 

Fabio,  hardly  suppressing  a  deep  sigh,  began :  "  I 
had  a  brother  living  in  the  city  of  Anagni,  under  our 
paternal  roof:  he  had  many  children,  one  of  whom  had 
put  on  the  ecclesiastical  dress  in  order  to  enjoy  the 
rents  of  a  family  JuspatronatuSj  or  ecclesiastical  ben- 
efice, and  consequently  attended  the  schools  at  the 
episcopal  seminary  of  the  city.  One  day,  towards 
dusk,  this  child  was  returning  from  the  usual  prome- 
nade, together  with  eleven  alumni  of  the  same  insti- 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  137 

tution,  and  their  tutor,  when,  near  the  walls  of  the 
city,  they  were  seized  and  carried  away  by  a  band  of 
highwaymen. 

"  Next  morning,  a  notification  from  Gasperone,  the 
chief  of  the  band,  was  circulated  in  Anagni,  purport- 
ing that  the  boys  would  be  set  free,  and  restored  to 
their  parents,  provided  they  should  send  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars,  a  thousand  for  each  boy,  and  a  cargo  of 
bread  for  the  tutor  (undervalued  because  he  belonged 
to  a  poor  family),  to  a  place  there  described.  It  was 
not  a  new  example ;  nay,  many  rich  and  honest  cit- 
izens had  been  taken  prisoners,  and  then  delivered  by 
paying  a  tax  in  the  same  way.  A  few  days  before 
that  event,  the  friars  of  a  convent  near  Frascati, 
twelve  miles  from  Rome,  had  all  been  carried  away, 
and  afterwards  redeemed  by  the  government.  But  to 
lay  hands  on  the  friars  and  alumni  of  the  episcopal 
seminary  was  too  bad ;  and  Cardinal  Paliotta,  the 
legate  of  the  pope,  was  determined  to  punish  it  in 
some  manner. 

"  My  poor  brother  had  no  money,  and,  in  a  state  of 
deep  sorrow,  applied  to  me.  I  had  not  at  hand  such  a 
sum ;  but  in  a  short  time  I  succeeded  in  getting'  it, 
and  supplied  him.  The  other  parents  also  raised  the 
sum  in  the  best  way  they  could.  Cardinal  Pallotta,  the 
special  legate  of  the  pope,  took  it  upon  himself  to 
send  the  money,  and  supplied  the  requisite  cargo  of 
bread.  The  assassins  went  cautiously  to  the  ap- 
pointed place,  and  took  the  money  and  the  bread  to 
their  dens. 

"  Now  the  unhappy  parents  looked  anxiously  for  the 

return  of  their  children  ;  but  in  vain.     The  next  day, 

some  one  ventured  to  the  place  of  deposit,  and  found 

all  the  heads  of  those  unhappy  creatures  cut  off  from 

12* 


138  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

their  bodies  :  it  was  in  revenge  for  the  cardinal's  hav- 
ing poisoned  the  bread  sent  to  the  ruffians." 

'^  Horrible  !  horrible  ! ''  exclaimed  I.  "  And  what 
punishment  was  inflicted  on  the  cardinal  and'  the  ruf- 
fians?" 

"  The  cardinal,"  answered  Fabio,  "  was  praised  for 
his  zeal,  and  intrusted  with  more  ample  power  to  sub- 
due the  brigands.  He  immediately  published  a  noti- 
fication, ofiering  a  thousand  dollars  reward  for  the 
head  of  Gasperone,  the  chief  of  the  band,  and  two 
hundred  dollars  for  the  heads  of  each  of  his  associ- 
ates. But  Gasperone  issued  another  notification, 
ofiering  ten  thousand  dollars  for  a  less  noble  part 
than  the  head  of  the  cardinal,  who,  frightened  by  it, 
fled  to  Rome. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  the  Austrian  general,  who  had 
quelled  the  revolution  of  Naples  some  years  before, 
crossed  the  Roman  state,  when  going  with  a  young 
daughter  on  a  visit  to  the  King  of  Naples.  They  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Gasperone,  who,  besides  robbing 
them  of  everything,  abused  their  persons  in  the  most 
shameful  manner,  and  then  let  them  go,  hardly  cov- 
ered with  rags. 

"  The  pope  was  informed  of  the  painful  occurrence 
by  the  King  of  Naples  himself,  and  answered  that  he 
was  very  sorry  indeed ;  observing,  however,  that  the 
event  ought  to  be  regarded  as  a  special  visitation  of 
God,  since  the  general  and  his  young  daughter  were 
obstinate  Protestants.  The  Prince  of  Metternich, 
however,  was  but  little  pleased  with  that  'holy  obser- 
vation '  of  the  '  very  holy  father,'  and,  in  the  name  of 
his  Emperor,  sent  a  threatening  note  to  the  papal  gov- 
ernment, saying  it  was  time  to  put  a  stop  to  such 
iniquities,  the  cause  of  which  was  to  be  found  in  the 


THE  EOMAN  EXILE.  139 

anarchy  of  the  papal  government,  because  nothing  of 
that  kind  happened  in  other  parts  of  Italy. 

"  At  this  the  '  paternal  viscera '  of  the  pope  were 
moved  j  and,  calling  a  friar  who  had  been  a  prisoner 
of  Gasperone,  he  sent  him  to  make  a  treaty  with  the 
brigands.  The  friar  succeeded  in  sowing  discord 
among  them,  and  then  concluded  the  affair  with  Gas- 
perone  and  some  of  his  most  influential  friends,  who 
agreed  to  lay  down  their  arms,  and  live  quietly  and 
honestly  in  some  city,  in  consideration  of  a  fair  income 
to  be  paid  to  them  monthly,  and  of  a  general  absolu- 
tion from  their  past  crimes  and  sins,  with  the  assur- 
ance of  eternal  life. 

^'  The  matter  being  thus  arranged,  Gasperone  and 
other  signers  of  the  treaty  surprised  their  compan- 
ions, and,  having  killed  them,  took  off  their  heads.  I 
happened  to  be  present  when  these  ruffians,  headed 
by  the  friar,  presented  themselves  to  the  prelate  gov- 
ernor of  Anagni,  showing  the  bloody  heads  of  their 
former  friends,  and  asking  the  promised  price  of  two 
hundred  dollars  each,  which  the  prelate  paid.  I  can- 
not help  feeling  a  shudder  of  horror  every  time  I  think 
of  that  horrible  scene. '^ 

"  What  has  become  of  those  infamous  miscreants  ?  " 

"  Some  died  a  natural  death  soon  after,  and  some 
were  imprisoned  or  executed  for  new  crimes.  Only 
Gasperone  is  still  living  and  free  in  Civita  Vecchia :  he 
behaves  himself  well,  and  often  sits  as  a  model  assas- 
sin for  the  artists." 

"  Where  was  the  monster  born  ?  "  inquired  I. 

"  Gasperone,'^  answered  Fabio,  "  was  born  in  the 
poor  village  of  Sonino,  formerly  on  the  road  to  Naples, 
and  now  entirely  destroyed  by  order  of  the  pope  for 
being  a  nest  of  assassins.     Gasperone  had  but  one 


140  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

sister,  who  married  Joseph  Antonelli,  of  the  same  vil- 
lage. Her  oldest  son,  James  Antonelli,  has  been  lately 
made  a  prelate,  and  appointed  governor  of  Viterbo.'' 

^^Was  the  father  of  Monsignor  Antonelli  also  an 
assassin?  '^ 

"  No ;  but  he  was  in  business  with  them,  trading  in 
the  result  of  their  depredations,  and  sheltering  them 
occasionally.  On  that  account,  he  was  sent  to  the 
galleys  for  life,  during  the  government  of  Napoleon, 
in  the  year  1813  ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  papal  restoration 
took  place,  two  years  after,  it  was  represented  to  the 
pope  that  Antonelli  had  been  condemned  only  because 
he  was  a  prominent  member  pf  the  Society  of  Holy 
Faith,  and  an  officer  of  the  bands  of  Sanfedisti,  com- 
manded by  Cardinal  Rufo ;  so  that  the  pope  set  him 
free,  and  then  amply  rewarded  him." 

"  Holy  faith !  holy  inquisition  !  holy  office  I  holy 
chair !  very  holy  pope,"  muttered  I  j  "  good  names 
and  bad  things." 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A  MYSTERIOUS  DISAPPEARANCE. 

Among  the  members  of  the  "Young  Italy''  with 
whom  I  had  been  put  in  communication  was  a  young 
painter  from  Venice;  called  Marco.  Owing  to  his 
good  qualities,  he  was  quite  a  favorite  with  all  his 
numerous  friends ;  he  had  great  talent  and  learning, 
was  very  pleasant  in  his  manners  and  conversation, 
and  unbounded  in  his  generosity.  He  was  also  the 
treasurer  of  our  association,  for  we  had  funds  result- 
ing from  the  small  sum  of  ten  cents  which  we  paid 
monthly,  and  from  some  other  contributions. 

One  evening  Marco  suddenly  disappeared,  and 
nothing  was  heard  of  him.  On  that  evening  he  had 
supped  in  good  spirits  with  two  friends  at  Lepre  ;  he 
then  went  to  the  theatre  Argentina ;  and,  when  the 
»  play  was  over,  was  seen  to  take  the  way  to  the  Cap- 
itol and  Coliseum ;  but,  after  that,  he  could  not  be 
traced.  Some  of  our  friends  went  to  his  apartment 
and  to  his  studio,  and  both  were  in  their  ordinary  con- 
dition. A  secret  place,  known  to  them,  was  opened ; 
and  there  was  the  sum  belonging  to  the  society,  intact. 
We  were  quite  alarmed  at  this,  fearing  that  he  had 
been  arrested  in  consequence  of  some  discovery  of 
our  association  j  but  many  cautious  researches  proved 
to  us  that  he  was  not  in  the  common  prisons. 

(141) 


142  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  news  reached  Rome  that 
Yiterbo,  a  city  fifty  miles  west  of  Rome,  had  made  a 
revolutionary  movement  against  the  pope,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  papal  delegate  or  governor,  Mon- 
signor  Antonelli,  had  fled  to  Rome,  together  with  his 
executioners.  We  knew  that  such  a  partial  move- 
ment had  been  neither  ordered  nor  encouraged  by 
"Young  Italy;"  but,  having  no  better  explanation 
than  this,  we  supposed  that  Marco  had  been  allured  to 
Yiterbo,  and  killed  in  the  repression  of  the  movement, 
which  took  place  soon  after. .  True,  Marco's  name  had 
not  been  spoken  of  in  any  list  of  proscription  or  con- 
demnation ;  but  secret  executions  in  the  prisons,  and 
death  from  tortures,  were  events  too  common  at  that 
time. 

To  the  general  mourning  for  the  dreadful  ven- 
geance which  followed  the  movement  at  Yiterbo, 
we  added  special  grief  for  our  friend  Marco,  whom 
we  thought  a  victim  of  it.  The  movement  of  Yiterbo 
was  styled  "a  mad  attempt,"  and  was  bitterly  de- 
nounced by  the  English  press, — which,  by  the  bye,  had 
not  a  word  to  register  the  causes  of  that  desperate 
effort,  or  the  horrible  cruelties  in  which  Monsignor 
Antonelli  indulged  when  he  was  sent  back  with  an 
army  to  quell  it. 

What  is  the  use  of  such  movements,  which  cannot 
succeed  at  any  rate,  because  all  Europe  is  united  in  a 
conspiracy  to  maintain  by  force  the  tyranny  of  the 
papal  government?  The  effect  will  of  course  be  to 
embitter  the  condition  of  the  oppressed.  But  the 
movement  of  Yiterbo,  and  many  others  of  the  same 
kind  which  very  often  occurred  after  the  papal  resto- 
ration in  1815,  were  not  the  effect  of  a  preconcerted 
design.     The  people,  dreadfully  oppressed  and  shame- 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  143 

fully  wronged  by  a  perverse  caste,  are  sometimes 
driven  to  utter  a  desperate  cry. 

This  cry  only  excites  new  persecutions,  and  new 
blood  will  be  shed.  This  is,  alas  I  too  true ;  but  there 
is  no  chain  which  will  resist  long  when  continually 
wet  with  blood.  Besides,  this  innocent  blood  will  fall 
on  the  heads  of  the  European  diplomatists,  and  their 
iniquity  will  smell  to  Heaven. 

Terror  reigned  now  in  Rome  as  well  as  in  Viterbo ; 
to  show  the  slightest  grief  for  the  victims  was  a 
crime;  spies  and  soldiers  watched  your  steps,  your 
words,  and  even  your  looks.  This  was  the  occasion 
of  the  good  fortune  of  the  prelate  AntoneUi:  he 
showed  himself  an  able  instrument  of  ferocious  ven- 
geance, and  was  used  freely  afterwards.  The  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Viterbo  was  a  friend  of  AntoneUi ;  but 
his  son,  a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  had  followed  the 
movement :  no  spy,  however,  had  noticed  him.  The 
father,  anxious  on  his  account,  went  to  implore  the 
clemency  of  Monsignor  AntoneUi ;  but  the  youth  was 
immediately  seized  and  condemned. 

AntoneUi,  moreover,  assisted  on  that  occasion  by 
an  able  spy  called  Freddi,  invented  and  used  a  plan 
which  has  been  often  tried  since  then  with  success,  in 
order  to  discover  the  enemies  of  the  government.  He 
pretended  the  existence  of  a  political  plot,  and  by  his 
agents  aUured  incautious  people  to  join  it ;  so  they 
were  deceived,  imprisoned,  and  condemned. 

Our  meetings,  even  of  no  poUtical  character,  were 
now  less  frequent  and  more  cautious  than  before. 
"  Poor  Marco  ! ''  we  whispered  very  often,  and  enter- 
tained no  hope  of  seeing  him  again.  Fifteen  days 
after  his  mysterious  disappearance,  a  little  before  mid- 
night, I  was  with  Mattia,  Fabio,  and  two  other  friends, 


^. 


144  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

in  the  garden  of  the  Cafee  Ruspoli,  a  magnificent  and 
much  frequented  cofiee-house  in  the  Corso.  Some  of 
the  oil-lamps  were  extinguished,  and  the  efiect  of  the 
others  was  diminished  by  the  exuberant  vegetation 
of  the  orange-trees  and  roses  ;  so  that  our  group  in  a 
corner  was  but  little  in  sight  of  the  passers-by.  We 
were  talking  about  the  account  given  by  Benvenuto 
Cellini  of  his  nocturnal  visit  to  the  Coliseum,  together 
with  a  magician,  who  called  up  many  thousand  spirits 
there.  Mattia  charged  the  writer  with  being  an  im- 
postor ;  Fabio  tried  to  explain  how  Cellini,  having  the 
ideas  of  his  time,  had  probably  been  imposed  upon  by 
me^ns  of  some  chemical  preparation,  producing  quite 
a  delusion. 

Suddenly  I  started,  and  uttered  an  exclamation  of 
wonder.  My  friends  all  turned  to  me,  inquiring  what 
was  the  matter.  "  I  have  seen,"  said  I,  "  our  friend 
Marco  :  he  passed  away  like  a  shadow."  At  this  they 
began  to  laugh  and  sneer  at  me,  saying  that  I  believed 
in  the  appearance  of  spirits.  It  was  not  the  case ; 
but  the  alteration  of  my  countenance  at  that  unex- 
pected sight  gave  a  force  to  their  charge  which  I  was 
not  able  to  repel,  for  I  was  much  surprised.  But  a 
few  minutes  had  elapsed  when  we  all  saw  the  noble 
figure  of  a  tall  young  man,  a  few  steps  from  us,  evi- 
dently looking  for  some  one. 

"  Here  is  Marco  1 "  I  cried  out,  starting  to  embrace 
the  new  comer,  and  so  did  my  friends,  for  really  it  was 
Marco,  in  flesh  and  spirit ;  but  "  0,  quantum  mutatus 
ab  illo  I "  Serious,  pale,  with  a  frightened  look,  un- 
combed hair,  and  dirty  dress,  Marco  had  evidently 
been  the  victim  of  some  disaster.  We  were  about  to 
overwhelm  him  with  congratulations  and  questions ; 
but  he  quelled  our  enthusiasm  by  a  significant  gesture, 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  145 

and,  turning  coolly  to  Mattia,  inquired  if  he  (Mattia) 
"  had  taken  away  the  key  of  his  apartment,  to  secure  it 
during  his  absence. 

"  Here  is  the  key,"  answered  Mattia  j  '^  but  tell  us 
what  has  happened  to  thee." 

"  I  cannot !  I  cannot !  "  replied  Marco,  and,  wishing 
us  good  night,  went  away,  leaving  us  more  astonished 
and  disappointed  than  ever.  For  some  days  Marco 
brusquely  declined  to  satisfy  our  intense  curiosity. 
At  length,  having  recovered  his  health  and  his  good 
humor,  he  consented  to  tell  the  whole  story,  provided 
we  would  keep  it  secret. 

^^  Some  months  ago,"  said  Marco,  "  a  patron  of  mine 
gave  me  a  commission  to  make  a  picture  for  his  gal- 
lery, on  the  well-known  subject  of  Cleopatra  kiUing 
herself  with  asps.  In  order  not  to  copy  from  our 
great  masters,  and  still  make  something  tasteful,  I 
wanted,  above  all,  a  beautiful  living  model.  I  found, 
not  without  difficulty,  a  girl  possessing  the  features  I 
desired;  but  she  was  not  accustomed  to  sit  as  a  model 
and  often  made  me  very  impatient.  At  length  I  had 
made  the  head  and  a  part  of  the  neck ;  and  now  she 
must  keep  steadily  unchanged,  —  a  rather  difficult  posi- 
tion, —  with  an  asp  in  her  hand.  One  morning,  when 
she  was  unusually  heedless,  and  I  felt  in  a  bad  humor, 
in  a  fit  of  rage  I  effaced  the  work,  casting  aside  the 
canvas. 

"  After  some  days,  looking  by  chance  at  the  canvas, 
I  observed  that  the  head  had  not  been  injured,  and 
was  a  beautiful  one ;  and  then  I  thought  how  I  might 
derive  from  it  some  profit.  I  hastily  painted  a  blue 
veil  around  the  face,  and  covered  the  breast,  on  which 
I  painted  a  pair  of  crossed  hands.  Now  the  picture, 
with  its  despairing  air,  was  in  the  costume  of  a  Ma- 
13 


146  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

donna;  and  I  gave  it  for  sale  to  Mr.  Yallati,  who 
keeps  an  extensive  assortment  of  cheap  damaged 
saints,  Madonnas,  and  Christs. 

"  Some  weeks  ago  I  again  determined  to  make  the 
Cleopatra,  and  sent  for  the  model,  who,  as  usual,  came 
with  her  mother.  She  warned  me  to  treat  her  daugh- 
ter kindly,  and  not  scold  her  roughly,  if  I  wished  to 
have  her  more  attentive  in  keeping  her  position.  I 
agreed,  and  the  girl  behaved  in  a  satisfactory  manner 
till  the  work  was  finished.  Then,  as  a  reward,  I  was 
prevailed  upon  to  take  both  the  girl  and  her  mother 
on  an  excursion  to  Monte  Rotondo,  on  the  8th  of 
September,  the  holy  day  of  the  '  Conception  of  the 
Holy  Virgin '  (then  not  yet  immaculate).  The  feast 
was  to  be  celebrated  with  extraordinary  pomp;  for 
Cardinal  Lambruschini,  the  lord  of  the  village,  was 
himself  to  perform  the  pontifical  service,  and  then  a 
horse-race,  with  large  premium,  and  the  drawings  of  a 
tombola,  or  lottery  of  five  hundred  dollars,  were  to 
take  place,  besides  a  display  of  fireworks  in  the 
evening. 

"  Passing  before  the  church  of  the  village,  we  were 
allured  into  it  by  the  good  music ;  but  the  first  object 
which  met  our  eyes  was  my  former  Cleopatra  trans- 
formed into  a  Madonna.  It  was  placed  high  upon  the 
principal  altar,  among  a  hundred  burning  wax  candles, 
and  the  cardinal,  on  his  knees  before  it,  was  ofiering 
incense  with  a  silver  censer.  The  girl  and  I  looked 
at  each  other,  and  could  not  help  laughing,  which  was 
so  perceptible  as  to  scandalize  the  honest  worshippers. 
Many  severe  glances  were  fixed  upon  us,  and  I  was 
sorry  and  ashamed,  but  was  unable  to  refrain  from 
laughing,  any  more  than  the  girl.  I  therefore  thought 
it  best  to  take  her  away,  for  the  present.    We  enjoyed 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  147 

the  amnsements  of  the  day,  and  returned  to  Rome  at 
a  late  hour,  having  attended  the  fireworks,  exhibited 
in  honor  of  my  disguised  Cleopatra. 

"  Next  evening,  a  little  after  midnight,  while  I  was 
walking  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Coliseum,  three 
men,  well  armed  with  daggers  and  pistols,  made  a 
rush  upon  me  from  their  hiding-place.  I  offered  them 
my  purse  and  watch  for  my  life ;  but  they  informed 
me  that  they  were  not  highwaymen,  and  desired  to 
take  me  prisoner  to  the  'Holy  Inquisition,'  whose 
'  familii '  they  were, — a  very  bad  '  family,'  by  the  bye. 
At  a  sign  from  them  a  carriage  advanced,  and  I  was 
pushed  into  it  and  carefully  bound.  They  gagged  my 
mouth  and  blindfolded  my  eyes;  then  they  brought 
me  to  a  small  dark  room,  in  the  palace  of  the  '  Holy 
Inquisition,'  I  suppose,  and,  shutting  the  door,  they 
left  me  there. 

"  After  an  interval  which  appeared  tedious,  some- 
body came  into  the  room,  and  led  me  up  stairs, 
through  a  narrow  staircase,  to  a  magnificent  apart- 
ment, from  which  we  passed  into  the  room  of  tho 
'  Grand  Inquisitor,'  which  was  hung  with  black.  I 
need  not  relate  the  forms  of  that  dreadful  tribunal, 
which  you  already  know.  After  many  interrogato- 
ries, which  were  carefully  registered,  as  well  as  my 
answers,  the  inquisitor  said:  'You  are  accused  of 
having  shown  a  sacrilegious  contempt  towards  an  im- 
age of  the  Holy  Virgin  in  a  sacred  church,  during  the 
religious  service,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  cardinal 
of  the  holy  mother  Church.  Do  you  confess  your 
crime  ? ' 

"At  this  I  plainly  related  all  the  history  of  my 
poor  Cleopatra,  begging  leave  to  present  the  testi- 
mony of  Mr.  Vallati  and  of  the  girl,  and  alleging  that 


148  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

my  laughter  had  been  involuntary.  At  this,  one  of 
the  judges  spoke,  according  to  their  rules,  in  my 
defence.  He  said  that  my  confession  appeared  to  be 
sincere,  and  perfectly  consistent  with  the  deposition 
of  Mr.  Vallati  and  of  the  girl,  taken  beforehand.  He 
concluded  that  there  was  more  levity  than  wickedness 
in  my  case,  and  suggested  a  fifteen  days'  hard  impris 
onment,  with  bread  and  water,  as  a  sufificient  punish- 
ment. 

"  The  inquisitor  observed  that,  the  offence  having 
been  public,  and  full  of  scandal,  it  would  be  more 
appropriate  to  expose  me,  well  bound,  with  a  gag  on 
my  tongue,  at  the  door  of  the  church,  for  three  Sun- 
days, during  divine  service.  But  the  opinion  of  my 
defender  prevailed,  and  I  was  taken  immediately  to  a 
dark  and  damp  subterranean  dungeon.  For  fifteen 
days  I  heard  no  human  voice  —  saw  no  human  face — 
and  no  ray  of  light  whatever  came  to  my  dungeon. 
It  was  very  narrow,  and  contained  no  furniture  at  all. 
Once  a  day,  through  a  turning  wooden  box,  I  received 
a  small  piece  of  very  bad  bread  and  a  pint  of  water. 

"  The  dungeon  was  not  large  enough  to  permit  me 
to  lie  down  and  sleep,  and  its  unpaved  floor  was 
exceedingly  muddy.  Here  and  there,  however,  I  felt 
under  my  feet  some  hard  objects,  which,  after  exam- 
ining them  with  my  hands  in  the  darkness,  I  found  to 
be  bones  and  skulls,  belonging  probably  to  prisoners 
who  had  died  there. 

"  After  the  fifteen  days  had  elapsed,  at  the  same 
hour  in  which  I  was  imprisoned,  they  brought  me  to 
the  same  place  in  which  I  had  been  taken,  and  set  me 
free  ;  warning  me  to  be  prudent  and  silent,  if  I  did 
not  wish  to  go  back.'*' 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  UNIVEESITY  OF  BOLOGNA. 

Having  determined  to  go  through  a  regular  course 
of  jurisprudence,  I  went  to  the  university  of  Bologna, 
instead  of  attending  the  lectures  at  the  Roman  univer- 
sity called  Sapienza.  My  father  had  several  reasons 
for  sending  me  thither,  and  the  principal  was  that  in 
Bologna  lived  his  uncle  Vincenzo,  an  old  bachelor,  who 
would  probably  bequeathe  to  me  his  respectable  for- 
tune. They  were  not  on  good  terms;  but  I  had 
nothing  to  do  with  their  reciprocal  wrongs,  and  my 
grand-uncle  might  regard  me  as  the  future  represent- 
ative of  the  family.  In  fact,  he  received  me  with  a 
hearty  welcome,  and  treated  me  kindly  during  all  the 
time  I  spent  in  Bologna. 

I  arrived  in  that  city  at  the  end  of  October,  1838 
(though,  as  usual,  the  lectures  did  not  begin  till  the 
12th  of  November),  because  I  wanted  to  arrange  the 
matter  for  my  regular  admission.  The  university,  and 
all  the  lectures  delivered  there,  are  constantly  open 
and  free  to  every  one ;  but  the  academical  degrees 
and  the  doctorate  are  conferred  only  upon  those  who 
have  been  admitted  as  regular  students.  Now,  my 
age  presented  a  sericits  obstacle  to  my  admission,  as  I 
was  but  little  over  sixteen,  while  the  pope  had  wiselt/ 
13*  (149) 


150  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

defined  that  the  capacity  of  understanding  the  lec- 
tures at  the  universities  of  Rome  and  Bologna  does 
not  arrive  till  the  completion  of  the  eighteenth  year. 

Fortunately,  however,  my  grand-uncle  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  a  personal  acquaintance  with  Cardinal 
Oppizzoni,  Archbishop  of  Bologna,  and  archchancellor 
of  that  university.  He  could  not  directly  violate  the 
law ;  but  he  exempted  me  from  exhibiting  among  the 
other  papers  the  certificate  of  baptism,  which  for  us  is 
the  proof  of  the  age  of  the  individual.  In  that  manner 
the  question  was  overlooked. 

I  asked  for  admission  to  the  second  year  of  the 
course  of  jurisprudence,  which  is  sometimes  granted 
to  those  who  have  made  uncommon  progress  in  a 
good  school.  I  was  thoroughly  examined  on  the  sub- 
jects which  are  taught  during  the  first  year,  and  then 
my  wish  was  complied  with.  So  that  I  had  to  attend 
the  university  for  only  three  years  in  order  to  com- 
plete my  theoretical  course,  and  to  earn  the  doctorate, 
provided  I  should  prove  successful  in  all  the  exam- 
inations. This  course,  however,  was  merely  a  the- 
oretical one ;  practical  knowledge  being  the  object 
of  another  course,  to  be  attended  afterwards  as  an 
apprentice  in  some  office  of  a  lawyer  or  judge. 

AU  this  being  arranged,  I  was  very  happy  to  spend 
the  few  days  I  still  had  of  leisure  in  visiting  and  ob- 
serving, with  my  grand-uncle,  the  university  and  aU 
its  appurtenances.  He  was  an  admirer  of  that  insti- 
tution, and  made  me  acquainted  with  its  history  and 
former  importance. 

"  Bologna,"  said  he,  on  one  occasion, "  has  been  con- 
stantly renowned  for  its  learning.  Its  former  name 
was  Felsina;  but  the  Roman  ^nquerors  changed  it 
into  Bononia,  and  we  say  Bologna.    Its  very  ancient 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  151 

device,  to  be  seen  here  in  the  university  and  in  the 
church  of  S.  Petronio,  was  the  word  ^  Libertas/  written 
in  two  different  diagonal  directions,  and  the  motto, 
'  Bononia  docet,^  as  you  see  here  on  that  proud  coat- 
of-arms.  It  was  not  a  vain  boast,  for  Italy  and  Europe 
have  borrowed  learning  and  learned  institutions  from 
Bologna." 

^'  Was  not  the  university  of  Bologna  founded  by 
Charlemagne  ?  "  observed  I. 

My  uncle,  shaking  his  head,  answered  :  "  Charle- 
magne was  an  ignorant  barbarian,  and  came  to  Italy 
for  the  sake  of  war,  and  yielded  to  the  request  of 
the  pope,  without  thinking  of  civilization.  But  the 
sight  of  Italy,  her  lofty  monuments  and  ruins,  excited 
his  powerful  genius;  the  institutions  which  he  saw 
won  his  admiration;  and  the  learned  men  whom  he 
met  there  inspired  him  with  esteem  and  love  for  learn- 
ing,—  nay,  he  took  some  of  them  with  him  to  teach  in 
France.  Peter  of  Pisa,  Paulus  Warnefridus,  and  The- 
odulphus  were  of  the  number. 

"  Probably,  however,  Charlemagne  gave  some  en- 
couragement to  those  learned  institutions  which  he 
afterwards  transplanted  to  France  by  means  of  the 
learned  men  referred  to.  For  instance,  he  is  said  to 
have  introduced  into  France  the  free  public  schools 
which,  no  doubt,  he  found  preserved  in  Bologna  and 
other  parts  of  Italy,  since  the  time  of  the  ancient 
Romans.  There  exist  many  monuments  to  prove  that 
the  university  of  Bologna  was  held  in  great  estimation 
long  before  the  time  of  Charlemagne,  and  that  the  light 
of  science  was  never  entirely  extinguished  there,  even 
during  the  darkest  epoch  of  the  middle  ages.'' 

"But  the  ancient  Romans,"  observed  I,  "had  no 
institutions  organized  like  our  universities." 


152  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

''  True,"  answered  my  uncle.  "  But  it  was  to  pro- 
tect science  against  the  overwhelming  barbarism  that 
the  learned  teachers  of  Bologna  thought  of  forming 
themselves  into  a  corporation,  with  particular  forms 
and  organization ;  because,  at  that  epoch,  only  the 
strength  of  association  was  able  to  save  an  institution 
or  a  trade.  But  the  constitution  of  the  university  of 
Bologna  is  the  best  proof  of  its  Roman  origin,  as  well 
as  of  the  liberal  spirit  of  its  democratic  founders. 

"  Lectures  were  to  be  delivered  in  public,  and  free 
of  charge,  admitting,  without  any  distinction,  persons 
of  every  class,  of  both  sexes,  and  of  all  nations.  The 
lecturers  were  chosen  from  among  the  most  learned 
men,  and  paid  by  the  municipal  authority  with  partic- 
ular funds  devoted  to  public  instruction,  and  con- 
stantly augmented  by  private  donations,  so  as  to 
constitute  a  rich  endowment.  The  lecturers  were 
bound  to  wear  the  ancient  Roman  toga  and  mantle, 
and  a  Roman  ring  on  the  first  finger  was  the  mark 
of  their  dignity.  They  uttered  and  supported  the 
famous  motto,  '■  Cedant  arma  togse.'  Such  an  institu- 
tion was  evidently  in  opposition  to  the  warlike  and 
feudal  spirit  of  the  barbarous  conquerors,  who  appre- 
ciated only  the  arms. 

"  Besides,  Latin  was  the  only  language  of  the  uni- 
versity; and  the  degrees  or  titles  of  doctorate  were 
formerly  conferred  by  clothing  the  pupil  in  a  Roman 
toga  and  mantle,  and  by  putting  on  the  first  finger  a 
Roman  ring.  Those  degrees  also  were  first  intro- 
duced by  the  university  of  Bologna,  as  a  certificate 
of  a  relative  advancement  in  the  sciences,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  exercise  of  a  profession  or  a  branch  of 
it.  Even  now,  for  instance,  the  Baccalaureate  at  law 
enables  a   pupil  to  become  a  notary.    Licentia,  or 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  153 

license,  is  required  for  an  attorney,  and  only  a  doctor 
is  able  to  be  a  lawyer,  a  judge,  or  a  professor  at  law. 
The  parchment  diploma  given  by  the  university  of 
Bologna  had  the  clause,  'Ad  exercendum  hie  et  ubique,* 
which  was  respected  by  eighteen  nations.  All  the 
universities  of  Italy  and  Europe  have  adopted  sub- 
stantially the  constitution  of  that  of  Bologna,  and  even 
the  same  Roman  forms,  as  regards  dress,  the  academ- 
ical titles  and  degrees,  and  the  manner  of  conferring 
them." 

''Have  all  these  forms  and  regulations  been  pre- 
served?" inquired  I. 

My  uncle  replied :  "  They  were  generally,  till  the 
present  century ;  but  now  several  changes  have  been 
forcibly  introduced.  Latin,  for  instance,  was  aban- 
doned three  years  ago ;  a  sum  of  forty  dollars  must 
be  paid  for  the  doctorate  ;  lecturers  have  been  placed 
under  the  control  of  the  government ;  foreign  pupils 
and  many  Italians  are  arbitrarily  prevented  from  at- 
tending the  university  by  the  despotic  orders  of  the 
police,  and  the  most  learned  professors  have  been  sent 
into  exile." 

"  Are  the  professors  appointed  by  the  government?" 

"  No :  when  a  professorship  is  vacant,  notice  must 
be  given  to  the  public,  and  any  learned  man  has  a 
right  to  make  application.  The  comparative  merit  of 
the  applicants  is  determined  by  means  of  a  trial  before 
the  professors  of  the  university,  except,  however,  in 
the  case  of  a  man  of  uncommon  talent  and  skill,  whom 
they  would  invite  to  lecture  without  any  trial.  But 
the  government  often  nullifies  the  choice,  which  must 
then  be  made  again.  Even  in  its  present  bad  condi- 
tion, our  university  numbers  some  men  of  genius,  as 
Mezzofanti,  who  speaks  fluently  fifty-six  of  the  most 


154  THE   ROMAN    EXILE. 

difficult  ancient  and  modern  languages;  Tommasini, 
the  founder  of  a  new  school  in  medicine ;  and  some 
others." 

"  But  what  is  the  spirit  of  this  university  ?  '^  in- 
quired I. 

"  It  is  truly  liberal/'  answered  my  grand-uncle,  "  and 
consistent  with  its  popular  origin  and  constant  strug- 
gles against  emperors  and  popes,  the  Inquisition  and 
Jesuits.  In  general,  the  universities  of  Europe  pre- 
served the  same  liberal  spirit,  and  adopted  a  dem- 
ocratic constitution,  even  where  despotism  ruled,  or  a 
proud  aristocracy  divided  the  people  into  dominant 
and  servile  classes.  Any  government  daring  to  touch 
those  democratical  institutions  of  science  met  con- 
stantly with  a  dignified,  consistent,  and  strong  resist- 
ance, and  excited  public  indignation." 

"At  present,"  observed  I,  "  the  pope  is  the  absolute 
master  of  Bologna,  and  cares  but  little  for  public 
indignation,  having  powerful  foreign  armies  to  quell 
any  outburst.  What  is  there,  then,  to  prevent  him 
from  giving  up  to  the  Jesuits  the  universities  as  well 
as  the  other  schools  ?  " 

"Every  kind  of  despotism,"  answered  my  uncle, 
"  has  some  limits,  because  an  entire  people  cannot  be 
beaten,  imprisoned,  and  kiUed ;  so  that  there  is  some- 
thing which  a  tyrant,  foreseeing  a  general  opposition, 
will  not.  dare  to  attempt.  Let  me  quote  a  recent 
instance.  To  fill  the  chair  of  Professor  Silvani,  a  man 
of  great  merit,  who  was  sent  into  exile  for  his  liberal 
opinions,  the  pope  appointed  a  base  intriguer  called 
Giovanardi.  It  was  an  open  violation  of  the  by-laws 
of  our  university,  and  its  members  remonstrated,  but 
in  vain,  and  Giovanardi  went  to  deliver  his  first  lec- 
ture. 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  155 

"A  crowd  of  many  thousand  persons  had  early 
filled  the  lecture-hall,  as  well  as  the  corridors  and  a 
court-yard  adjoining.  They  were  the  most  respecta- 
ble citizens  of  our  city,  coming  to  express  their  dis- 
satisfaction, and  make  a  solemn  protest.  The  vile 
intriguer  took  the  chair,  but  was  unable  to  speak,  and 
retired  amid  a  general  hissing.  Many  arrests  were 
made;  the  building  of  the  university  was  put  in  a 
state  of  siege ;  for  fifteen  mornings,  Giovanardi  made 
his  appearance  among  a  crowd  of  soldiers,  but  was 
finally  obliged  to  give  up  the  ill-earned  professorship; 
and  soon  after,  having  obtained  a  large  sum  of  money 
under  false  pretences,  made  his  escape  into  a  foreign 
land." 

I  visited  the  numerous  and  extensive  cabinets  of 
astronomy,  of  all  the  difierent  branches  of  natural  his- 
tory, of  chemistry  and  physics,  of  anatomy,  physiol- 
ogy, pathology,  &c.,  as  well  as  the  library,  containing 
sixty  thousand  volumes,  besides  numerous  manuscripts 
and  collections  of  documents  and  antiquities.  It  was 
with  great  pleasure  that  I  observed  the  portraits,  or 
marble  inscriptions,  kept  there  to  preserve  the  mem- 
ory of  all  the  most  distinguished  men  who  had  been 
connected  with  that  institution. 

Among  those  monuments,  I  saw  a  marble  statue 
erected  to  Laura  Bassi,  a  lady  who  filled  the  chair  of 
natural  philosophy  during  many  years  with  extraordi- 
nary success ;  and  my  uncle  pointed  out  to  me  the 
portrait  of  another  lady,  exhibiting  a  severe,  stern 
face,  with  flashing  eyes  and  long  curled  hair,  —  it  was 
Lucia  Tambroni,  who  lately  lectured  there,  for  many. 
years,  on  ancient  literature,  and  was  considered  the 
best  Greek  scholar  of  the  last  century. 

"  Some  other  ladies  have  occasionally  occupied  the 


156  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

chairs  of  our  nniversity,"  said  my  uncle,  "  lecturing 
on  civil  and  canon  laws,  philosophy,  and  even  anat- 
omy ;  but  we  have  not  the  portraits  of  them,  probably 
because  they  were  destroyed  by  time,  or  lost  among 
others  in  some  gallery." 

The  university  of  Bologna  is  now,  as  formerly,  di- 
vided into  five  faculties  or  colleges :  —  1.  Theology ;  2. 
Jurisprudence ;  3.  Medicine ;  4.  Mathematics ;  5.  Phi- 
lology. Each  of  them  numbers  twelve  professors, 
—  except  that  of  medicine,  which  has  eighteen,  —  but 
some  chairs  are  not  filled:  in  jurisprudence,  for 
instance,  there  are  only  nine  lecturers.  From  the 
12th  of  November  to  the  24th  of  June,  all  the  lectur- 
ers must  teach  during  one  hour  every  day,  except 
Sundays,  Thursdays,  and  the  many  holidays :  if  pre- 
vented, they  send  a  substitute. 

Each  pupil  has  from  four  to  six  lectures  to  attend 
every  school-day.  If  he  neglects  his  duty,  the  pro- 
fessors have  the  right  of  vetoing  his  promotion  at  the 
end  of  the  annual  course ;  but  they  will  scarcely  use 
it.  He  may  expect,  however,  to  be  examined  in  a 
more  severe  manner  than  a  diligent  student.  Besides, 
the  pupils  are  entirely  independent  of  the  university, 
as  they  were  in  former  times.  The  wicked  police  of 
the  government  troubles  them  occasionally ;  but  they 
form  a  strong,  compact  body  of  energetic  young  men, 
united  by  general  and  constant  affection. 

The  course  of  jurisprudence  requires  four  years,  as 
well  as  that  of  theology.  Three  years  are  enough  for 
the  courses  of  mathematics  and  philology ;  but  stu- 
dents of  medicine  must  attend  the  lectures  during  six 
years,  because  they  are  instructed  there  even  by 
means  of  practical  attendance  in  a  large  hospital  kept 
for  that  purpose.     Generally,  a  boy  who  intends  to 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  157 

exercise  a  profession  must  study  at  least  sixteen  years 
before  obtaining  his  object. 

Besides  the  regular  students  at  the  university,  there 
may  be  seen  mechanics  attending  some  lectures  inter- 
esting in  their  trade,  some  scholars  seeking  for  im- 
provement, and  many  people  attracted  by  curiosity  or 
amusement.  Very  often,  a  venerable,  gray-headed  man 
appears  among  the  young  people.  But  all  these  differ- 
ent persons  are  united  and  led  to  sympathize  by  the 
common  love  of  instruction.  Nobleman  and  plebeian, 
rich  and  poor,  mechanics  and  scholars,  young  and  old, 
constantly  present  the  beautiful  spectacle  of  mutual 
respect  and  friendly  intercourse.  It  must  be  so ;  for 
science  is  the  patrimony  of  mankind,  and  before  her 
must  disappear  all  the  distinctions  of  class,  age,  or 
nation. 

14 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE   STUDENT  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY. 

My  life  as  a  student  in  Bologna  was  a  happy  one. 
Students  there  regard  themselves  as  an  independent 
corps,  and  live  in  great  harmony  among  themselves. 
They  are  also  exceedingly  popular  among  the  citi- 
zens, who  treat  them  with  great  kindness.  The  uni- 
versity does  not  supply  rooms  for  the  students,  as  it 
would  have  been  almost  impossible,  when  there  were 
thirteen  thousand  of  them,  and  still  difficult  even  after- 
wards, when  they  were  reduced  to  three  thousand. 
Since  the  year  1815,  however,  it  would  have  been 
easy,  as  the  number  was  no  more  than  ^ye  hundred ; 
but  no  innovation  has  been  made.  A  family,  having 
plenty  of  rooms,  will  take  in  one  or  two  students,  and 
make  them  feel  entirely  at  home;  and,  as  students 
generally  are  joyful  and  well-bred,  an  intimate  friend- 
ship is  soon  established  between  them  and  their  hosts. 
The  terms  are  very  easy. 

I  boarded  with  a  rich  merchant,  at  the  rate  of  seven 
dollars  monthly,  for  which  I  was  supplied  with  a  fine 
bedroom,  breakfast  at  ten  o'clock,  and  dinner  at  six, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  city.  He  had  many 
acquaintances,  who,  in  a  short  time,  became  also  mine. 
My  uncle  often  paid  for  my  board,  and  presented  me 
to  his  friends ;  so  that  I  had  means  for  amusement 

(168) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  159 

when  I  had  time.  I  had  a  lecture  to  attend  at  eight, 
and  another  at-  nine  o'clock,  both  on  ancient  Roman 
laws.  At  ten  I  went  to  breakfast,  and  then  studied 
until  the  next  lecture,  at  twelve,  on  canon  law.  At 
two  o'clock  my  lessons  were  over,  and  I  went  home 
to  study  till  six.  After  dinner  I  took  a  walk,  even 
when  the  weather  was  bad,  because  the  streets  were 
flanked  on  both  sides  by  airy  and  fine  porticoes.  I 
very  seldom  studied  during  the  evenings.  My'  school- 
fellows generally  lived  in  the  same  style. 

The  Thursday  holiday,  formerly  introduced  in  the 
honor  of  Jupiter  (Jovis  day),  has  been  constantly 
kept  by  all  ancient  and  modern  schools  of  Italy  as  a 
traditional  custom,  and  because  it  is  well  calculated  to 
give  a  rest  to  the  teachers,  and  sujQficient  time  to  the 
pupils  to  recollect  and  digest  the  instruction  given  to 
them  in  the  course  of  the  week.  In  Catholic  coun- 
tries, however,  Sundays  and  other  holidays  are  used 
for  the  same  purpose ;  because  study  is  not  consid- 
ered as  a  manual  work,  to  be  abstained  from  on  the 
Lord's  day,  and  to  study  on  those  days  in  which  peo- 
ple generally  only  seek  for  amusement  is  regarded  as 
meritorious,  provided  the  student  attends  the  mass, 
which  lasts  but  a  few  moments. 

There  was  a  law  that  aU  the  students  should  attend 
mass  at  a  church  next  to  the  university,  on  Sunday 
and  the  other  holidays,  from  half  past  eleven  to 
twelve  o'clock,  and  this  was  the  only  act  of  religion 
required  from  them ;  but  the  law  was  not  rigorously 
enforced.  From  twelve  to  one  o'clock,  generally,  was 
the  mass-time  for  fashionable  people.  Masses  are  said 
at  any  moment  in  all  the  churches,  during  all  the 
morning;  but  fashionable  ladies  sleep  very  late,  and 
want  time  for  a  careful  toilet,  first  going  to  see  and 


IGO  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

be  seen  at  the  churches  of  S.  Petronio,  S.  Stefano, 
Sa.  Catherina,  and  other  resorts  of  the  gay  world^  and 
then  to  the  Montagnola,  and  other  public  promenades. 
The  students,  though  not  required  by  any  law^  were 
constantly  in  attendance  in  those  churches  at  that 
hour. 

I  did  not  choose  that  occasion  in  order  to  see  the 
ladies  and  pay  my  attentions  to  them.  It  was  too 
repugnant  to  the  education  which  I  had  received  from 
my  mother,  who  constantly  closed  her  weekly  note  to 
me  with  the  words,  "  Keep  religiously  the  day  of  the 
Lord."  But  I  often  attended  the  conversazioni ,  or 
evening  parties,  which  are  very  common  and  agreea- 
ble in  Italy.  These  private  gatherings  of  gentlemen 
and  ladies,  forming  a  circle  to  hear  and  say  pleasant 
things,  as  well  as  to  hear  and  execute  excellent  mu- 
sic, are  a  most  remarkable  feature  of  our  society. 
Coarse  manners  are  not  to  be  found  in  Italy,  even 
among  the  lower  classes  of  the  people.  Italians  like 
to  be  polite  on  every  occasion ;  but  it  is  in  their  con- 
versazioni that  they  display  their  good  taste  and  wit. 
Those  social  gatherings  are  a  substitute,  or  a  com- 
pensation, for  the  want  of  a  truly  domestic  life.  Our 
family  affections  are,  indeed,  strong;  but  we  want 
public  life  on  every  occasion,  and  do  not  know  the 
pleasure  of  shutting  our  door  to  enjoy  the  charms  of 
a  domestic  circle. 

A  "  gentlemen's  party  "  would  be  a  perfect  anomaly 
with  the  Italians ;  for  ladies  are  a  necessary  element 
in  all  our  parties  and  amusements.  This  is  perhaps 
the  chief  reason  for  the  temperate  habits  of  the 
Italians.  A  gentleman  at  a  dinner-party,  having  at 
his  side  a  lady,  who,  when  the  dinner  is  over,  will 
take  his  arm  to  go  into  the  drawing-room  for  a  social 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  161 

conversation,  will  not  dare  to  indulge  in  eating  and 
drinking  like  an  English  club-member.  Certainly, 
when  the  dishes  are  served,  the  gentleman  will  take 
for  himself  a  portion  double  that  which  he  has  given 
to  his  fair  companion,  and  will  drink  a  full  glass  of 
wine  when  she  only  tastes  it ;  but  this  is  allowed  to 
his  stronger  frame,  provided  it  does  not  cause  him  the 
least  excitement. 

But  all  the  weight  of  a  conversazione  is  usually 
supported  by  gentlemen,  who  often  have  not  an  easy 
task  to  carry  it  on  in  a  manner  suitable  and  agreeable 
to  the  ladies.  Politics  and  religion  are  excluded  from 
the  topics  of  our  conversation,  as  dangerous  subjects, 
"  De  Deo  parum,  de  principe  nihil ;''  and  the  sciences, 
on  the  other  hand,  are  too  deep  for  many  of  our 
ladies.  They  are  endowed  with  great  natural  talent, 
and  some  of  them  prove  to  be  excellent  scholars, 
poets,  and  artists ;  but  generally  they  have  not  the 
means  of  a  scientific  education.  Bologna,  for  instance, 
a  city  famous  for  learning,  and  for  its  female  lecturers, 
has  not  a  school  for  young  ladies.  "  Let  them  be 
educated  in  the  nunneries,"  says  the  government. 
But  citizens  prefer  to  have  them  brought  up  ignorant 
at  home,  rather  than  half  taught  and  entirely  spoiled 
in  a  nunnery.  Now,  however,  the  private  education 
of  young  ladies  at  home  has  been  greatly  improved. 

I  confess  that  the  conversazioni  which  I  attended 
gave  me  great  pleasure ;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
manifest  inferiority  of  the  ladies  to  the  gentlemen, 
and  their  lack  of  knowledge  when  compared  to  many 
foreign  ladies,  I  never  have  found  abroad  anything 
of  that  kind  which  I  should  prefer.  Those  parties 
are  also  well  fitted  to  establish  and  maintain  friendly 
intercourse  among  the  citizens,  whom  the  despotic 
14* 


162  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

governments  endeavor  to  estrange  from  each  other. 
Foreigners,  in  reproaching  Italians  for  their  fondness 
for  conversazioni,  pubHc  promenades,  and  theatres, 
should  know  that  it  is  not  amusement  which  is  the 
chief  attraction  on  such  occasions.  We  need  public 
life,  and  come  together  for  some  common  interest 
or  object ;  it  has  been  constantly  an  urgent  need  with 
the  Italians,  who,  forcibly  prevented  from  taking  care 
of  their  political  interests  according  to  their  demo- 
cratic tendency,  give  vent  to  their  favorite  passion 
the  best  way  they  can. 

By  frequenting  the  conversazioni  of  Bologna,  I  soon 
became  acquainted  with  many  learned  men,  and  even 
with  my  teachers  at  the  university.  One  of  these,  a 
friend  of  my  uncle,  took  great  interest  in  me,  and  an 
unbounded  confidence  was  established  between  us. 
One  evening  I  told  him  frankly  that  I  was  not  satis- 
fied with  his  method  of  teaching,  as  it  consisted  merely 
in  delivering  a  lecture  for  one  hour  on  common  topics, 
without  any  free  discussion. 

"  It  is  not  my  fault,  nor  that  of  my  colleagues,"  he 
replied.  "  We  are  constantly  under  the  watchful  eyes 
of  a  suspicious  police  and  of  the  Holy  Inquisition, 
both  irritated  against  us  by  the  malicious  arts  of  the 
Jesuits;  so  that,  in  matters  having  any  connection 
with  politics  and  religion,  we  must  be  exceedingly 
circumspect,  and,  above  all,  avoid  any  discussion  be- 
tween ourselves  and  the  pupils.  Some  years  ago,  for 
example,  a  student  from  Belgium,  still  breathing  the 
spirit  of  their  successful  revolution,  put  openly  to  me 
the  question,  '■  Are  governments  for  the  people,  or  the 
people  for  governments  ? '  I  tried  to  avoid  a  direct 
answer,  asserting,  however,  that  the  pope  and  kings 
reigned  '  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord,'  having  a  ^  divine 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  163 

right '  to  command.  But  the  young  man  pressed  me 
with  all  the  strength  of  his  inexorable  logic  and  cruel 
wit,  overwhelming  me,  to  the  great  scandal  of  the 
audience.  The  imprudent  youth  was  exiled  immedi- 
ately from  Bologna,  and  the  bitterest  reproofs  fell 
on  me. 

"  Another  time,"  added  the  professor,  "  I  lectured 
on  the  different  forms  of  government.  I  made  a  dry 
exposition  of  them;  and  as  for  their  comparative 
merit,  I  quoted  the  words  of  the  text-book,  saying, 
^  Monarchy  is  the  best  form  of  government ;  an  elect- 
ive monarchy  is  preferable  to  a  hereditary  one,  which 
sometimes  will  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  king  unable 
to  govern  by  himself.  Papacy,  however,  is  the  best 
of  all  elective  monarchies,  because  the  electors  of  the 
pope  are  directly  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost :  so  that 
papacy  is  the  best  of  all  governments.'  At  this,  a 
middle-aged  man  rose  from  among  the  auditors,  and, 
with  a  marked  foreign  accent,  said,  ^  Your  definition  is 
very  good,  I  think ;  but,  if  so,  I  beg  leave  to  inquire 
why  papal  subjects  are  in  a  wretched  condition,  and 
in  almost  a  constant  state  of  rebellion  ? '  I  silenced 
him  by  saying  that  it  was  an  impertinent  question; 
but  even  then  a  heavy  reproof  fell  upon  me." 

The  same  professor  suggested  to  me  the  idea  of 
arranging  with  some  friends  regular  private  meetings, 
in  order  to  indulge  my  desire  of  freely  discussing  the 
subjects  of  my  btudies.  I  had  still  a  fresh  remem- 
brance of  the  danger  caused  to  me  by  such  meetings 
in  Rome  ;  and  I  knew  that  the  police  watched  every 
step  of  the  students,  suspecting  all  of  them  to  be 
members  of  "  Young  Italy."  I  did  not,  therefore,  at 
the  time,  follow  his  advice.  But,  during  the  month 
of  March,  a  Spanish  student  came  to  board  at  the  same 


164  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

house  with  me.  He  was  a  young  man  of  talent,  pleas- 
ant manners,  and  liberal  views.  We  were  of  the  same 
class,  and  agreed  to  study  some  hours  together,  which 
resulted  in  great  mutual  improvement. 

He  was  generally  much  pleased  with  me,  when  the 
matter  of  our  discussions  was  the  ancient  Roman  laws, 
because  I  was  able  to  afford  many  illustrations,  in 
consequence  of  my  theoretical  and  practical  knowl- 
edge of  Roman  antiquities.  But  when  we  happened 
to  speak  of  the  canon  laws,  although  I  had  the  same 
advantage  of  practical  knowledge  to  illustrate  the 
matter,  my  friend  was  too  often  disgusted  with  my 
explanations  and  views  on  that  subject.  He  had  been 
brought  up  a  true  papist,  with  narrow  ideas  in  reli- 
gious matters ;  and  his  talents  were  of  no  avail  to  him, 
because  they  had  accustomed  him  to  believe  implicitly 
what  he  was  taught  of  religion,  and  to  drive  quickly 
from  his  mind  all  doubts  on  the  subject,  as  a  tempta- 
tion of  the  Evil  One,  and  a  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Spanish  resolution  was  then  in  progress,  and 
my  friend  did  not  conceal  his  strong  sympathy  with 
the  revolutionists.  They  had  slaughtered  many  priests 
and  friars,  and  I  supposed  that  they  aimed  at  both 
political  and  religious  emancipation;  but  my  friend 
undeceived  me. 

"  Those  priests  and  friars,'^  said  he,  "  well  deserved 
the  fate  they  met  with,  for  they  had  accumulated  upon 
their  heads  too  many  iniquities,  abusing  the  whole 
nation,  and  trampling  upon  all  sacred  rights  and 
duties.  But  it  is  not  the  fault  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith,  to  which  the  Spaniards  are  strongly  devoted. 
We  know  how  to  distinguish  between  that  religion 
and  its  abuses :  you  Italians  confound  the  ^  holy  father 
of  believers'  with  a  temporal  sovereign  oppressing 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  165 

you.  That  is  the  reason  of  your  hostility  against  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith. '^ 

"  The  abuses  which  you  condemn/'  answered  I,  "  are 
the  necessary  consequences  of  the  system  which  you 
praise;  it  is  a  cause  which  produces  the  same  effects 
everywhere.  Let  Spain  understand  it,  and  then,  but 
only  then,  will  she  be  free,  and  take  again  among  the 
nations  the  place  which  she  lost  through  the  crimes  of 
the  Inquisition  and  the  Jesuits." 

My  friend  incredulously  shook  his  head,  and  declined 
any  further  discussion,  according  to  the  suggestions 
of  his  religious  teachers.  I  told  him  that  I  respected 
his  opinions  and  his  feelings,  and  desired  him  not  to 
use  the  epithet  "  Roman  "  when  speaking  of  the  papal 
system,  because  it  was  not  a  Roman  invention,  and 
owes  its  existence  only  to  foreign  brute  force. 

Notwithstanding  these  differences  of  opinion  in  re- 
ligious matters,  an  intimate  friendship  grew  up  be- 
tween Fernandez  and  me ;  and,  when  the  lectures 
were  to  be  closed,  I  invited  him  to  go  to  Rome  with 
me,  and  accompany  me  in  a  pedestrian  journey  to 
Naples  and  other  places,  during  the  four  months' 
vacation.  He  accepted  my  invitation,  as  he  had 
nothing  to  do  in  Bologna  during  that  time,  in  which 
almost  all  the  students  go  home  or  travel.  We  left 
Bologna  on  the  evening  of  the  23d  of  June,  and  took 
the  road  to  Florence,  sixty  miles  west  of  Bologna,  in 
order  to  witness  the  feast  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
patron  of  Florence,  to  be  held  on  the  following  day, 
and  then  proceed  to  Leghorn  by  the  railroad,  and 
take  passage  to  Civitavecchia  in  the  French  mail 
steamboat. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

A  SUMMER  VACATION. 

"  What  is  that  black  point  which  is  before  us  on  the 
quiet  surface  of  the  sea  ?  "  inquired  my  Spanish  friend 
Fernandez,  after  we  left  Leghorn  in  a  French  steam- 
boat bound  to  Civitavecchia ;  and  I  answered  him, "  It 
is  the  island  called  Corsica,  the  third  in  extent  among 
the  Italian  islands.  There  live  an  intelligent  and  ener- 
getic people,  well  preserving  the  features  of  the  an- 
cient Italian  race.  Not  long  ago,  the  island  was  seized 
by  France,  in  spite  of  the  heroic  resistance  of  the 
inhabitants  ;  and  this  iniquity  still  exists.  There  the 
greatest  genius  of  modern  ages  was  born,  from  a  Flo- 
rentine family  established  in  the  city  of  Ajaccio.'^ 

"  Perhaps  you  ItaHans  are  right  in  boasting  of  Na- 
poleon," replied  the  Spaniard.  "  As  for  me,  I  hate 
him  and  his  memory,  because  he  attempted  to  destroy 
the  independence  of  my  country,  and  brought  upon  it 
the  plague  of  a  dreadful  war." 

"  And  you  are  right  too,"  said  I ;  "  that  great  genius 
was  able  to  conquer  everything  but  his  own  ambition, 
which  led  him  to  many  wrong  and  foohsh  deeds,  and 
called  down  upon  him  a  severe  retribution.  He  was 
delivered  into  the  hands  of  an  ungenerous  enemy,  to 
be  killed  by  a  painful  torture,  which  lasted  several 
years." 

(166) 


THE   EOMAN   EXILE.  167 

"  But  Napoleon/'  replied  the  Spaniard,  "  did  noth- 
ing for  Italy.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  interests  of 
a  foreign  nation,  and  made  Italians  bleed  for  France." 

"  That  may  be  so/'  answered  I ;  "  but,  to  be  just, 
we  must  acknowledge  that  Italy  was  not  then  pre- 
pared, or  strong  enough,  to  stand  with  him  against  all 
Europe.  France,  on  the  contrary,  was  already  in  the 
field,  and  in  a  state  of  excitement  entirely  new  in 
history.  Besides,  the  course  of  Napoleon  must  be 
considered  from  a  higher  point  of  view.  He  seems  to 
have  been  a  man  intrusted  with  the  mission  of  puUing 
down  the  old  social  edifice  of  the  middle  ages ;  at 
least,  it  is  a  fact  that  he  has  shaken  it  with  such  vio- 
lence that  we  have  but  to  carry  away  the  ruins  and 
clear  the  space  for  new  buildings.  But  the  most  sen- 
sible advantage  which  Italy  gained  from  the  course  of 
Napoleon  was  the  debasement  and  contempt  into 
which  papacy  sunk,  because  the  prestige  of  papacy 
was  the  principal  obstacle  to  the  restoration  of  the 
Italian  nationahty." 

"  If  it  is  so,  you  may  be  right  in  opposing  the  pope's 
temporal  power ;  but  why  do  you  aim  at  the  total 
destruction  of  papacy  ?  "  asked  Fernandez. 

"  Because,"  answered  I,  "  the  pretended  distinction 
and  division  between  the  temporal  and  spiritual  power 
is  but  an  Utopia  imagined  by  those  who  do  not  know 
the  true  nature  of  that  institution.  Papacy  is  a  com- 
pact, artificial  system,  which  does  not  admit  of  the 
least  change  or  improvement." 

Fernandez  made  no  reply;  and,  after  some  mo- 
ments, desired  to  know  my  opinion  about  the  feast  of 
St.  John,  which"  we  had  witnessed  the  day  before  in 
Florence. 

''  It  was  very  amusing,"  said  I ;  "  the  music  of  the 


168  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

solemn  mass  was  composed  by  Donizetti,  and  exe- 
cuted under  his  personal  direction  by  five  hundred 
artists.  For  the  horse-race  was  offered  the  highest 
premium  ever  given  in  Italy,  namely,  one  thousand 
dollars ;  and  quite  as  much  was  the  premium  for  the 
lottery  which  was  drawn  afterwards.  The  fire-works 
also  were  of  the  finest  kind,  and  the  general  illumina- 
tion of  the  city  added  a  great  charm  to  the  feast.'' 

"Well,"  said  Fernandez,  "the  great  display  made  on 
such  an  occasion,  the  large  sum  devoted  to  it,  and  the 
attendance  of  so  many  thousand  people,  show  that  the 
Florentines  at  least  are  deeply  attached  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion." 

"  No^  my  dear  sir,"  answered  I,  "  they  are  fond  of 
amusements,  and  they  would  attend  such  a  spectacle 
even  if  offered  in  honor  of  Bacchus  or  Yenus.  In 
fact,  you  must  confess  that  there  was  nothing  of  Chris- 
tianity in  that  feast.  Theatrical  performances,  excit- 
ing music,  horse-races,  drawing  of  lotteries,  fire- 
works, and  illuminations,  are  in  as  striking  opposition 
to  the  simple  and  spiritual  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  as 
the  conduct  of  the  pope  is  the  opposite  to  that  of 
Christ.  Besides,  it  was  not  intended  for  the  worship 
of  God :  a  man  was  the  object  of  a  feast  much  more 
splendid  than  any  one  offered  to  God.  That  is  worse 
than  the  pagans,  for  their  demigods  never  received 
greater  honors  than  Jupiter  and  other  ^Dii  majores.'  " 

At  this,  Fernandez  appeared  to  be  somewhat  dis- 
concerted. He  spoke  very  little,  and  only  of  indiffer- 
ent matters,  during  the  voyage.  Twelve  hours  of 
steam  navigation  brought  us  to  Civitavecchia,  where 
we  took  the  diligenza,  and  reached  Rome  in  eight 
hours.  It  was  a  Saturday  morning,  and  exactly  five 
minutes  before  twelve  o'clock,  when  the  carriage  left 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  169 

US  in  the  central  square  called  Piazza  di  Monte  Citorio. 
My  friend's  attention  was  immediately  attracted  by 
the  rich  fa9ade  of  the  Palace  of  Justice,  and  espec- 
ially by  its  large  balcony,  which  was  then  hung  with 
rich  red  silk,  and  covered  by  a  canopy.  A  crowd, 
chiefly  of  poor-looking  people  of  both  sexes,  regarded 
the  balcony  with  evident  anxiety. 

"  Is  it  a  solemn  benediction  which  they  prepare  to 
give  from  that  balcony  ?  "  inquired  Fernandez. 

"  No,"  said  I,  "  it  is  a  devilish  curse." 

In  the  mean  time,  a  prelate,  in  full  pontifical  dress, 
made  his  appearance  on  the  balcony,  and  was  followed 
by  four  proto-notaries  of  the  Roman  court,  in  their 
splendid  dresses.  Behind  them,  in  a  second  line,  were 
servants  in  great  gala  livery,  and  then,  in  a  third  line, 
some  well-armed  soldiers.  A  beautiful  child,  fanci- 
fully dressed,  was  placed  in  a  standing  position  on  a 
chair  at  the  right  side  of  the  prelate,  where  also  stood 
a  cylindrical  box  turning  on  its  axis.  A  man,  wearing 
a  dress  of  red  silk,  made  the  box  turn  a  little  while ; 
and  then  the  child,  putting  his  hand  into  it,  took  out  a 
little  ball,  which  he  gracefully  handed  to  the  prelate. 
He  looked  at  it,  and  then  the  four  proto-notaries 
looked  at  it  by  turns,  and  wrote  something  in  a  book 
which  they  had.  Then  the  man  in  red  silk  loudly 
cried  out,  "Number  eighty."  This  extraction  was 
repeated  four  times,  drawing  four  other  numbers; 
after  which  the  prelate  and  his  attendants  retired. 
The  crowd  also  dispersed, — a  few  joyfully,  others  dis- 
tressed, and  some  swearing. 

"  What  does  all  this  mean  ? "  inquired  Fernandez, 
exceedingly  amazed  and  astonished. 

"  Let  us  take  a  carriage  and  go  home,"  answered  I, 
"  and  I  will  explain  it  to  you  by  the  way."  The  car- 
15 


170  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

riage  proceeded*  slowly  through  the  populous  streets 
of  Orfanelli,  Piazza  della  Rotonda,  Piazza  della  Sapi- 
enza,  Via  della  Valle,  Via  Massimi,  and  Yia  BauUari ; 
for  I  lived  in  Piazza  Campo  di  Fiori.  During  the  ride, 
I  told  my  friend,  "The  prelate  you  have  seen  was 
Monsignor  Tesoriere,  that  is,  the  pope's  minister  of 
finance.  The  numbers  they  drew  with  such  religious 
and  solemn  pomp  are  intended  for  the  gambling- 
houses  which  the  pope  keeps  throughout  all  the  state, 
earning  generally  more  than  a  million  and  three  hun- 
dred thousand  scudi  (dollars)  each  year." 

"  Is  it  possible  ! "  exclaimed  Fernandez ;  and,  as  we 
passed  at  that  moment  a  large,  elegant  door  having  a 
sign  upon  it  formed  by  the  two  papal  keys  of  Hdl  and 
Paradise,  and  the  initials  R.  C.  A.  (meaning  Rev.  Ca- 
mera Apostolica),  I  pointed  to  it,  and  said  to  my  friend, 
"  There  is  one  of  the  gambling-houses.  It  is  called 
reverend  and  apostolic  room,  not  even  catholic,  because 
the  institution  is  now  restricted  to  the  papal  state. 
The  gamblers  are  generally  the  most  poor  and  igno- 
rant of  the  common  people :  the  idea  of  gaining  some 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand  doUars  acts  so  powerfully 
upon  their  imagination,  that  there  is  no  sacrifice 
they  would  spare  to  get  money  for  gambling  each 
week.  Not  a  few  are  induced  to  beg  or  steal  for  that 
purpose,  and  many  girls  and  women  forget  their 
duties  in  consequence  of  that  feverish  temptation. 
Starvation,  debasement,  despair,  and  crime  are  the  nat- 
ural consequences  which  attend  those  poor  wretches, 
waiting  to  obtain  from  a  delusive  hope  the  riches 
which  labor  and  honest  behavior  would  have  afi'orded 
to  them.'' 

At  this,  we  reached  the  door  of  my  home.  My  fam- 
ily did  not  expect  me  so  soon,  and  surprise  rendered 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE  171 

their  joy  more  complete.  My  father,  my  mother,  five 
sisters,  two  brothers,  and  an  old  servant,  all  sur- 
rounded me,  embracing  me,  kissing  me,  weeping,  and 
showing  in  every  manner  their  warm  afi*ection.  My 
friend,  though  a  stranger  to  that  scene  of  domestic 
happiness,  was  much  moved,  and  shed  tears  of  joy 
with  us.  He  also  was  welcomed  as  my  friend,  and 
was  prevailed  upon  to  remain  at  our  house  till  ho 
should  set  out  with  me  on  our  projected  pedestrian 
tour. 

As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  take  my  mother  aside,  I 
inquired  of  her  about  a  young  lady  formerly  living 
opposite  to  us.  I  became  acquainted  with  her  after 
my  return  from  Ravenna.  She  was  older  than  I,  and 
showed  me  a  tender  friendship.  I  thought  she  loved 
me,  and  I  fancied  I  was  in  love  with  her.  But,  one 
day,  when  I  declared  to  her  my  love,  freely  using  the 
impassioned  expressions  which  I  knew  by  heart  from 
Tasso  and  Metastasio,  she  coolly  observed  that  I  did 
not  know  what  love  was.  She  was  right ;  or  at  least 
what  I  felt  for  her  was  not  that  overwhelming  passion 
which  afterwards  so  much  troubled  my  heart. 

But  I  was  hurt  by  that  observation,  regarding  it  as 
an  insult,  —  for  I  was  only  sixteen.  I  deposited  my 
grief  in  the  loving  bosom  of  my  dear  mother,  and  she 
endeavored  to  console  me  by  repeatedly  saying,  "  She 
is  too  old  for  you ;  she  is  not  worthy  of  your  atten- 
tions ;  she  perhaps  is  in  love  with  some  one  else." 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  I  had  not  forgotten  her 
during  my  residence  in  Bologna ;  and  now  I  felt  anx- 
ious to  hear  of  her. 

My  mother  answered  me  in  a  somewhat  mysterious 
manner,  adding  that  the  young  lady  had  become  a  nun 
a  few  days  before  my  arrival.     "  Do  not  think  of  her 


172  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

any  more/'  said  my  mother  :  "  she  was  really  unworthy 
of  your  attentions."  I  made  some  effort  to  raise  the 
veil  of  mystery,  but  in  vain  5  and  I  soon  entirely  for- 
got her. 

Next  day  my  friend  was  naturally  anxious  to  see 
something  of  Rome.  "  Let  us  go  to  the  Capitol  first 
of  all,"  said  he;  and  I  took  him  thither  from  the 
north  side  of  the  hill  fronting  modern  Rome,  and 
covered  by  modern  edifices.  We  ascended  the  very 
large  and  easy  flight  of  steps  leading  to  the  square 
erected  by  Michael  Angelo,  when  my  friend  observed 
on  our  left  another  much  longer,  though  not  so  large 
nor  easy,  flight  of  marble  steps,  and  inquired  what  it 
was. 

"  That  flight  of  a  hundred  stairs,"  said  I,  "  leads  to 
the  ancient  temple  of  Jupiter,  called  Capitolinus, 
where  was  worshipped  a  brass  statue  of  him,  evidently 
YQry  ancient,  and  of  indifferent  artistic  merit,  which  is 
now  worshipped  in  St.  I*eter's  Church.  The  modern 
building,  erected  upon  the  base  of  the  ancient,  and 
with  its  materials  in  part,  is  a  large  church  consecrated 
to  the  Holy  Virgin,  under  one  of  her  thousand  titles, 
namely, '  Ara  Coeli '  (the  Altar  of  Heaven).  But  the 
most  prominent  object  of  the  modern  church  is  the 
likeness  of  the  infant  Jesus,  taken  from  life,  and 
carved  by  St.  Luke,  the  author  of  a  hundred  like- 
nesses of  the  Holy  Virgin." 

My  friend  was  so  pleased  with  the  idea  of  being  able 
to  see  that  likeness,  that  he  desired  to  go  to  it  imme- 
diately. We  entered  the  church  by  its  south  door, 
and  were  disappointed  to  hear  that  the  "  Holy  Bam- 
bino "  was  not  in,  having  gone,  together  with  his 
keeper,  to  visit  a  sick  lady,  but  was  expected  to  be 
home  in  a  short  time.     We  received  this  information 


THE  ROMAN   EXILE.  17^ 

from  a  fat,  good-natured  friar,  who  stood  there  in 
attendance,  and  with  whom  we  entered  into  a  close 
conversation. 

"  Why  was  the  ^  Holy  Bambino  ^  taken  to  visit  a  sick 
lady  ? ''  inquired  the  Spaniard,  with  a  marked  national 
accent,  which  discovered  him  to  the  friar^  who  was 
also  a  Spaniard. 

After  some  compliments,  the  friar  said :  "  You  must 
know  that  formerly,  when  there  was  much  faith  in 
the  world,  numberless  were  the  miracles  performed  by 
our  'Holy  Bambino.'  Ladies,  especially  when  con- 
fined and  in  danger  of  their  own  and  another  dear 
life,  never  applied  in  vain  for  help  to  our  '  Holy  Bam- 
bino.' It  was  brought  then,  as  now,  to  the  sick  lady's 
room  by  two  of  our  friars,  and  there  placed  for  a 
little  while  upon  the  sick  body,  surrounded  by  many 
burning  wax  candles,  and  all  the  persons  of  the  house 
kneeling,  with  the  two  friars  reciting  some  appropri- 
ate Latin  prayers ;  and  then  the  '  Holy  Bambino '  was 
moved  in  the  form  of  a  cross  upon  the  sick  body. 
The  effect  was  to  be  seen  almost  immediately,  namely, 
death,  if  there  was  not  faith  enough  in  the  patient  or 
in  the  house ;  healing,  if  the  contrary." 

"  Has  youF-  church  been  long  in  possession  of  the 
'  Holy  Bambino  ?  "  inquired  Fernandez. 

"  Yery  long,  exceedingly  long,"  answered  the  friar. 
"  We  piously  believe,  though  there  is  no  proof  of  it, 
that  St.  Paul  brought  it  into  Rome  when  he  was  taken 
here  as  a  prisoner,  and  then  it  was  preserved  in  the 
catacombs  till  after  the  miraculous  conversion  of  Con- 
stantino. But  what  made  our  '  Holy  Bambino '  to  be 
known  and  esteemed  as  he  deserves,  was  a  great  mir- 
acle^ such  a  miracle  as  our  wicked  age  will  never  wit- 
ness. It  happened  then  that,  the  'Holy  Bambino' 
15* 


174  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

being  kept  with  but  little  care  in  our  church,  a  priest 
from  Naples  succeeded  in  stealing  it,  and  secretly  fled 
to  his  native  country.  Our  friars,  frightened  by  the 
result  of  their  carelessness,  carved  a  piece  of  wood 
in  the  shape  and  form  of  the  missing  statue,  and  put 
it  into  the  empty  place.  They  must  be  excused  for 
this,  because  we  live  by  alms,  and  so  we  must,  by 
every  means,  avoid  the  displeasure  of  the  people. 
One  morning,  a  large  crowd  of  people  was  gathered 
at  the  foot  of  our  great  flight  of  stairs,  because,  to 
their  great  surprise  and  indignation,  there  was  the 
'  Bambino  ^  thrown  down  from  the  church.  They 
threatened  to  fire  the  convent ;  but,  some  one  having 
gone  to  see  the  place  where  the  '■  Holy  Bambino  '  was 
kept,  it  was  found  that  he  had  returned  from  Naples- 
during  the  night,  and  had  overthrown  the  false  one. 
Then  the  friars  confessed  their  fault,  and  the  people, 
filled  with  pure  joy,  easily  pardoned,  them." 

Just  then  the  two  friars,  with  the  "  Holy  Bambino," 
entered  the  church,  and  we  were  able  to  observe  the 
statue  at  our  ease.  Only  the  head  was  visible,  the 
rest  being  wrapped  in  rich  embroidered  silk,  and 
covered  with  gold  and  precious  stones.  The  face, 
eaten  out  by  worms,  was  exceedingly  ugly  and  re- 
pulsive, much  Hke  that  of  a  red  Indian  ruined  by 
small  pox. 

"  How  does  it  happen,"  inquired  I  of  the  Spanish 
friar,  "  that,  St.  Luke  having  made  both  this  likeness 
and  that  of  Loreto,  there  is  so  great  a  difference  be- 
tween them  ? —  for  the  '  Bambino  ^  of  Loreto  is  a  negro 
boy,  and  yours  is  almost  white." 

The  friar  was  rather  surprised  at  this  impertinent 
question,  and  then  observed  that  probably  St.  Luke 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  175 

had  made  the  "  Holy  Virgin  and  Child  "  of  Loreto  for 
a  negro  people,  and  thus  he  altered  the  color  and  fea- 
tures to  please  them.  We  gave  some  alms  to  the 
friar  for  his  explanations,  and  went  on  our  tour  among 
the  antiquities. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE   "PONTIFEX   MAXIMUS "    OF   ROME, 

"  To-day,"  said  I  to  my  friend  Fernandez,  "  is  the 
28th  of  June,  the  eve  of  St.  Peter's  holiday ;  and  we 
shall  have  a  fine  opportunity  to  see  the  actual  repre- 
sentative of  the  greatest  and  most  ancient  dignity  in 
Rome." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  inquired  he. 

"Do  you  not  remember,"  replied  I,  "the  Pontifex 
Maximus  of  the  ancient  Romans  ?  " 

"  Yes,  very  well ;  he  was  the  chief  pontiff,  sur- 
rounded by  the  greatest  honors,  pomp,  and  dignity, 
and  invested  with  supreme  authority  in  religious  mat- 
ters. He  was  also  the  president  and  ruler  of  the  col- 
lege of  pontiffs." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  you  will  then  remember  also  that 
Augustus,  having  usurped  the  civil  authority  under 
the  name  of  Emperor,  desired  to  have  even  the  su- 
preme religious  authority,  and  was  made  Pontifex 
Maximus.  His  successors  followed  his '  example, 
usurped  the  title  of  divusj '  holy/  and  some  pretended 
also  to  divine  honors  for  their  ancestor^  and  for  them- 
selves. The  Christian  emperors,  however,  gave  up 
the  title  and  dignity  of  Divus  Pontifex  Maximus, 
thinking  it  to  be  incompatible  with  the  purity  and 
humiUty  of  the  Christian  religion.   So  much  the  worse 

(176) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  177 

for  them,  because  a  pope  came  forth,  and  asserted  for 
himself  the  title  of  '■  holy,'  nay,  of  '  very  holy,'  and 
assumed  the  dignity  of  Pontifex  Maximus,  and  also 
Optimus,  namely,  perfect.  We  have,  therefore,  to- 
day, the  ^  Very  holy  Pontifex  Optimus  Maximus,'  who 
is  the  successor  of  the  ancient  Pontifex  Maximus  and 
also  of  the  Emperor  of  Rome." 

"  I  am  told,"  observed  Fernandez,  "  that  the  pope 
has  also  the  title  of  Servus  servorum  Dei,  that  is, 
*  Servant  of  the  servants  of  God,'  which  would  rather 
indicate  a  successor  of  the  apostles." 

" '  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,'  says  the 
Lord,"  answered  I ;  "  let  us  go,  then,  and  see  in  what 
capacity  the  pope  performs  the  religious  functions." 

We  arrived  at  the  Vatican  at  four  o'clock.  I  placed 
my  friend,  and  myself  at  his  side,  in  the  large  entrance 
at  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  and  near  to  the  door  by 
which  the  pope  was  to  pass  in  order  to  enter  the 
great  vestibule  and  the  church  for  the  solemn  ves- 
pers. From  the  landing  of  the  great  staircase  to  the 
lofty  throne  erected  under  the  cupola  or  dome,  there 
were  two  lines  of  soldiers,  fronting  each  other,  and 
keeping  a  free  passage  between  them ;  they  were  well 
armed,  and  appeared  ready  for  a  battle. 

Now  the  space  between  these  two  files  of  bayonets 
began  to  be  filled  by  a  large  procession,  formed  by  aU 
the  high  dignitaries  of  the  papal  court,  and  their  at- 
tendants. My  friend  was  enraptured,  admiring  the 
imposing  spectacle.  There  was  a  great  variety  of 
quaint  forms  and  brilliant  colors,  well  arranged  for 
efiect,  a  great  show  of  riches  and  luxury,  and  an 
exceedingly  vain  display  of  pompous  dresses  and 
ornaments.  It  was  in  striking  contrast  with  the  plain 
dresses  and  simple  ornaments  of  the  spectators ;  for 


178  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

Italian  ladies,  and  gentlemen  too,  do  not  like  such 
vain  pomp  and  show. 

"  Look,"  said  I  to  my  friend,  "  at  that  lady  opposite 
Tis,  clad  in  a  brown  silk  robe,  with  simple  laces  at  the 
neck  and  hands,  clasped  by  small  jewels ;  she  is  the^ 
Princess  Borghese.  Look  now  again  at  that  proud 
cardinal  passing  before  her ;  he  has  on  a  fine  scarlet 
silk  robe,  with  a  long  train  carried  by  a  priest  behind 
him ;  his  surplice  is  made  of  the  finest  laces  in  th*e 
world,  and  with  a  very  rich  clasp,  which  cost  at  least 
two  thousand  dollars.  He  has  a  knight,  in  spada  e 
cappa, '  with  sword  and  cloak,'  to  attend  him ;  a  priest 
brings  after  him  his  purple  hat,  and  another  a  cushion 
and  a  parasol.  Those  fourteen  men,  shining  with  scar- 
let and  gold,  are  his  servants ;  this  will  give  you  an 
idea  of  the  luxury  of  his  palace,  coaches,  horses,  &c. 
Well,  that  cardinal's  father  was  a  poor  servant  in  the 
house  of  that  princess  ;  but  he,  the  son,  changed  his 
master,  and  now  is  a  servant  of  the  Servus  servorum 
Dei:' 

By  this  time  the  pope  himself  made  his  appearance 
on  the  landing  of  the  large  marble  staircase.  He  had 
on  his  magnificent  pontifical  dress,  and  was  seated 
on  a  rich  arm-chair,  fixed  upon  a  large  table,  which 
was  supported  on  the  shoulders  of  twelve  strong- 
looking  fellows,  wearing  long  curled  hair,  and  clad  in 
red  silk  gowns  :  they  managed  very  well  to  keep  the 
table  in  a  horizontal  position  when  descending  the 
staircase,  and  to  avoid  any  brusque  movement,  which 
might  disturb  the  highly  dignified  countenance  of 
the  pope.  He  had  on  each  side  of  him  a  handsome 
youth,  also  wearing  long,  fair,  curled  hair,  and  clad  in 
red  silk  gowns,  with  a  rich  surplice  of  laces  ;  each  of 
them  had  a  large  fan,  made  of  the  feathers  of  white 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  179 

peacocks,  with  which  to  move  the  air  and  keep  off 
the  insects.  Some  other  youths  of  the  same  de- 
scription burnt  incense  before  him.  The  "  moving 
table/'  called  Sedia  gestatoria,  was  surrounded  by 
what  should  be  called  a  thick  iron  wall,  formed  by  the 
Swiss  guards,  armed  now,  as  they  were  five  hundred 
years  ago,  with  steel  cuirasses,  helmets,  halberds,  <S:c., 
and  clad  according  to  the  quaint  standard  given  by 
Michael  Angelo. 

When  this  group  was  about  to  pass  before  us,  I 
retired  a  little  behind,  bidding  my  friend  do  the  same. 

"Why  so?"  said  he. 

"  Because,"  whispered  I,  "  if  you  remain  you  must 
kneel  before  that  man,  who  is  a  sinner  like  ourselves." 

But  behold  the  pope,  and  Fernandez  freely  glancing 
at  him  in  a  standing  position,  not  perceiving  that 
everybody  was  kneeling  around  him.  One  of  the 
Swiss  guards  struck  Fernandez  with  the  halberd,  say- 
ing, "On  your  knees!"  and  passed  on.  I  advanced 
suddenly,  and  took  hold  of  my  friend,  whose  quick, 
southern  temperament  would  have  led  him  to  some 
excess. 

When  his  anger  was  calmed  by  reflection  we  en- 
tered the  church,  and  placed  ourselves  opposite  to 
the  front  of  the  papal  throne,  in  a  corner  formed  by 
the  amphitheatre  erected  for  ladies,  and  filled  chiefly 
by  English  and  American  Protestant  ladies,  who  are 
supposed  to  be  weak-minded  enough  to  be  imposed 
upon  by  the  magnificence  of  the  ceremonies  and  the 
show. 

The  pope  was  at  that  moment  seated  upon  his 
throne,  reading  from  a  large  book  which  a  cardinal, 
on  his  knees  before  him,  held  both  with  his  hands  and 
head ;  while  another  cardinal,  also  on  his  knees,  was 


180  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

holding  a  wax  candle  burning  in  the  bright  daylight ; 
and  two  Roman  princes,  the  great  constable  and  the 
great  marshal,  stood  one  on  each  side  with  the  en- 
signs of  their  dignity.  There  was  a  large  wide  space 
before  the  throne  kept  by  the  Swiss  guards,  and  all 
the  ceremonies  were  performed  in  this  space  between 
the  principal  altar  and  the  throne  of  the  pope.  The 
persons  who  must  be  present  and  act  their  part  when 
the  pope  holds  a  pontifical  ceremony  are  about  three 
thousand, including  the  soldiers;  but  the  performances 
before  the  altar  and  the  throne  are  executed  only  by 
two  hundred  persons,  including  the  cardinals,  bishops 
inpartibus,  and  prelates. 

In  those  performances  the  pope  seems,  to  the  eyes 
of  a  stranger,  to  be  rather  the  object  of  them  than  the 
chief  actor ;  because  he  does  nothing  by  himself,  being 
served  in  everything,  and  worshipped  by  all  the  col- 
lege of  his  attendants,  bowing  in  a  very  humble  man- 
ner, and  putting  themselves  on  their  knees  before 
him.  But  even  a  stranger  must  admire  that  spectacle: 
they  sit  and  rise  together  without  any  command;  they 
go  to  and  fro  in  different  directions  without  any  con- 
fusion ;  they  bow  and  kneel  in  a  uniform  manner.  A 
captain  of  soldiers,  a  Chinese  mandarin,  or  a  director 
of  a  ballet  for  the  opera,  might  learn  something  there. 

The  "  Rituale  Eomanum "  gives  a  full  description 
of  all  the  different  ceremonies  performed  during  the 
year,  and  of  the  different  colors  to  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  them.  The  same  book  also  gives  an 
explanation  of  all  the  movements  and  gestures,  show- 
ing that  they  have  a  recondite,  mystical,  and  symboli- 
cal sense,  as  those  of  the  ancient  Pagans  had.  But 
we  must  confess  that  there  is  now  more  splendor  and 
good  taste ;  and  the  person  of  the  Pontifex  Maximus, 


THE    ROMAN    EXILE.  181 

formerly  honored  as  the  first  minister  of  God,  has  now 
been  elevated  above  mankind  to  the  rank  of  repre- 
sentative of  God,  receiving  his  inspiration  from  him, 
and  being,  therefore,  incapable  of  error.  It  is  a  nat- 
ural progress. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  vespers,  the  cardinal  arch- 
presbyter  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  after  having,  accord- 
ing to  custom,  offered  incense  upon  the  altar  from  the 
left  to  the  right  corner,  went,  with  his  golden  censer, 
to  offer  incense  to  the  pope,  who  was  sitting  upoQ  his 
throne.  At  this  I  drew  from  my  pocket  a  little  en- 
graving which  I  had  brought  on  purpose,  and  placed 
it  under  the  eyes  of  my  friend.  "  It  was  an  illustration 
from  the  Roman  history  by  Pinelli,  representing  the 
Emperor  Caligula  usurping  divine  honors.  The  scene 
was  exactly  the  same  as  that  exhibited  before  us  at 
that  moment,  —  the  throne,  the  incense,  the  iron- 
dressed  soldiers,  two  Roman  notables,  two  children 
with  fans  of  white  peacock  feathers, — all  was  the 
same  in  both  scenes. 

"  Is  it  not  a  pretty  daguerreotype  ? ''  said  I. 

Fernandez  answered  nothing;  but  a  bitter  disap- 
pointment seemed  by  degrees  to  invade  his  mind. 
He  drew  me  aside,  behind  the  amphitheatre  of  the 
ladies,  and  inquired  about  the  singers  of  the  papal 
chapel.  He  had  observed  some  of  them  next  to  the 
pope  in  the  procession ;  they  were  clad  in  a  black 
gown  and  white  surplice,  as  common  priests,  but  had 
a  peculiar  look,  —  their  pale  and  flaccid  faces,  with- 
out any  beard,  and  their  sickly  countenances,  showed 
an  absolute  want  of  vigor,  though  they  were  generally 
still  young ;  but  they  had  a  fine  feminine  voice,  and 
uttered  such  sharp  trills  as  are  never  heard  from 
ordinary  singers. 
16 


182  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

I  explained  to  my  friend  that  those  wretched  singers 
are  prepared  by  a  certain  operation  in  their  childhood 
for  the  service  of  the  papal  chapel.  During  the  last 
century,  singers  of  that  kind  were  often  exhibited 
even  on  the  stage  at  the  opera ;  but  now  such  infamy 
is  to  be  witnessed  only  at  the  papal  chapel.  The  small 
town  of  Norcia  and  its  districts,  on  the  Appenines, 
have  an  ancient  privilege  of  supplying  the  papal 
chapel  with  such  people.  This  infamy  was  not  un- 
known to  the  ancient  Romans,  but  severe  laws  were 
passed  to  repress  it,  even  by  means  of  capital  pun- 
ishment. 

The  vespers  were  over,  and  the  pope,  attended  by 
his  courtiers,  descended  from  his  throne,  moving 
towards  another  part  of  that  immense  fabric.  He 
proceeded  slowly,  and  was  evidently  fatigued  by  the 
weight  of  his  over-rich  dresses  and  ornaments,  al- 
though he  had  an  assistant  on  each  side  to  support  his 
cope,  and  another  to  bear  his  long  train.  The  cope  was 
one  of  the  richest  he  possesses,  being  all  composed 
of  silk  and  gold,  embroidered  in  the  finest  style,  and 
profusely  ornamented  with  precious  stones  of  all  kinds. 
The  clasp  at  his  breast  was  an  admirable  work  of 
Benvenuto  Cellini;  and  the  emerald  encased  there 
was  the  finest  in  the  world.  The  tiara  (triregno)  also 
was  a  very  fine  work,  but  too  heavy  on  account  of  the 
precious  stones  of  those  three  crowns  representing 
the  three  kingdoms  (triregnum)  of  the  pope,  namely, 
Heaven,  Earth,  and  Hell. 

"  The  pope  seems,"  whispered  I  to  my  friend,  "  to 
have  on  the  metallic  cloak  mentioned  by  Dante  as  the 
punishment  of  hypocrites. " 

The  Spaniard,  knowing  the  passage  of  Dante  to 
whjch  I    alluded,  smiled,  and    soon   after  observed, 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  183 

jestingly,  "  A  man  so  dressed  will  be  good  for  some- 
thing, I  guess,  though  he  may  be  a  pope." 

"  No  doubt,"  answered  I ;  "  and  it  would  be  right 
to  sell  him  in  order  to  pay  the  debts  with  which  he  has 
overcharged  the  State." 

The  pope  now  ascended  another  throne,  in  order  to 
receive  the  tributes  to  be  presented  to  him  in  great 
solemnity  each  year  on  that  day.  They  are  paid  by 
those  who  hold  some  fief  from  the  Holy  Mother 
Church.  The  form  of  the  payment  generally  consists 
in  offering  a  silver  or  gold  chalice,  containing  the 
certificate  of  having  deposited  the  sum  due  in  the 
papal  bank  called  "  Di  Santo  Spirito  "  (of  the  Holy 
Ghost).  The  pope  was  assisted  now  by  his  high  offi- 
cers, the  Cardinal  Camerlengo,  Monsignor  Yice  Cam- 
erlengo,  Monsignor  Tesoriere,  Monsignor  Fiscale,  and 
others.  They  examined  the  offers  and  surveyed  the 
record  made  of  them  by  inferior  officers. 

All  went  on  without  any  remarkable  incident  till  it 
came  to  the  turn  of  those  vassals  who  had  made  no 
appearance,  although  called  thrice  in  a  loud  voice  by 
an  "  apostolic  bailiff."  They  were  now  formally  de- 
nounced by  Monsignor  Fiscale,  the  chief  of  the  ex- 
chequer, who  called  upon  those  wretched  rebels  the 
chastisement  of  "  his  holiness."  First  among  them  was 
Old  England,  for  having  neglected  to  send  this  year, 
as  well  as  during  the  last  three  hundred  and  forty 
years,  the  tribute  due  for  the  concession  of  Ireland, 
and  called  "  Peter's  pence  "  (Denaro  di  San  Pietro). 
The  pope  entered  a  cool  protest,  evidently  only  to 
preserve  his  rights  for  the  approaching  moment  in 
which  that  old  sinner  shall  be  brought  to  do  penance, 
and  take  shelter  in  the  paternal  arms  of  his  holiness. 

Next  came   the   unlucky  widow  of  Napoleon  the 


184  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

Great,  as  a  tenant  of  the  dukedom  of  Parma  and  Pia- 
cenza,  formerly  belonging  to  the  Holy  Mother  Church, 
and  then  given  up  by  the  pope,  Paul  the  Third,  to 
his  own  son,  Pierluigi  Farnese.  The  poor  lady  was 
innocent,  I  think,  having  nothing  to  do  with  the  crimes 
of  those  famous  miscreants,  and  having  received  the 
dukedom  from  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  without  knowl- 
edge of  its  being  a  bad  acquisition;  and  then  she 
took  no  other  care  of  it  than  to  derive  from  it  the 
largest  possible  revenue,  that  she  might  be  able  to 
enjoy  life  with  her  German  friends.  Notwithstanding, 
the  pope  renewed  against  her  the  decree  for  the  im- 
mediate dismission  of  the  usurped  property  of  the 
church,  and  all  the  excommunications  formerly  thun- 
dered and  renewed  each  year  in  vain.  I  felt  very 
sorry  for  her,  inasmuch  as  there  was  no  one  to  defend 
her  or  ask  for  mercy ',  but  the  pope  himself  soon  after 
thought  it  proper  to  suspend  the  effect  of  his  dreadful 
curses  during  one  year  and  one  day,  and  there  are 
many  reasons  to  believe  that  such  suspension,  renewed 
from  year  to  year,  will  continue,  as  the  pope  has  no 
means  of  conquering  Parma,  as  Julius  the  Second  did 
Ferrara. 

Now  was  the  turn  of  a  more  wicked  sinner,  —  I  mean 
the  King  of  Naples.  It  is  well  known  that  some  Nor- 
man warriors,  coming  back  from  their  devout  crusade 
in  the  Holy  Land,  took  the  opportunity  of  robbing  the 
kingdom  of  Naples,  where  they  had  been  hospitably 
received ;  and,  in  order  to  get  absolution  for  this,  they 
agreed  with  the  pope  to  give  him  that  kingdom,  and 
then  receive  it  from  him  as  a  fief  of  the  Holy  Church. 
The  tribute  to  be  paid  by  them  was  fixed  at  a  sum  to 
be  presented  together  with  a  fine  white  mare  (ghinea), 
wearing  upon  its  head  a  golden  chalice  containing 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  185 

the  usual  certificate.  The  kings  of  Naples,  in  all  suc- 
cessive generations  and  dynasties,  proved  to  be  good 
vassals,  faithfully  paying  the  tribute,  till  Charles  the 
Third  refused  to  do  so,  during  the  year  1775. 

"He  was  a  Spaniard,  as  you  are,"  said  I  to  my 
friend ;  "  but  evidently  he  had  been  spoiled  by  his 
Italian  mother  and  by  his  Italian  ministers.  This  re- 
bellious proceeding  moved,  of  course,  the  'paternal 
viscera  of  his  holiness,'  inasmuch  as  the  appearance 
of  that  fine  mare,  with  its  golden  chalice,  led  by  the 
hand  of  the  Neapolitan  ambassador  into  the  church  to 
the  throne  of  the  pope,  used  to  be  one  of  the  best 
features  of  the  spectacle.  The  pope,  therefore,  im- 
mediately decreed  the  confiscation  of  the  kingdom  of 
Naples,  excommunicating  the  king  till  he  should  resign 
the  kingdom  and  pay  the  tribute  due.  From  that 
epoch  the  pope  has  formally  renewed  each  year  his 
declaration,  and  will  probably  do  the  same  for  many 
years  to  come." 

"  Let  us  go  out,"  said  the  Spaniard ;  and  we  went 
arm-in-arm  through  the  principal  nave  of  the  church, 
now  free  from  the  parading  soldiers.  We  were  al- 
most half-way  to  the  front  door,  when  my  friend 
stopped,  startled,  and  said,  "  What  is  that  ?  " 

The  object  of  this  inquiry  was  an  ancient  brass 
statue,  with  a  very  ugly  and  ferocious  face,  having  on 
one  of  the  rich  copes  of  the  pope  and  a  golden  tiara 
upon  its  head.  It  seemed  to  have  been  put  there  for 
the  sake  of  exciting  ridicule. 

"  It  is  St.  Peter,"  said  I ;  "  but  do  not  believe  that 
he  constantly  wears  those  costly  ornaments :  in  gen- 
eral he  has  on  only  his  own  brass  toga, '  too  heavy  for 
the  summer  and  too  cold  for  the  winter.'  But,  on  his 
birthday,  the  pope  is  so  kind  as  to  lend  him  a  cope 
16* 


186  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

and  a  tiara,  though  he  seems  unable  to  appreciate  the 
value  of  them.  In  fact,  some  years  ago,  they  had  lent 
him  also  a  very  rich  ring,  which  miraculously  disap- 
peared, and  then  was  found  in  the  pocket  of  a  fervent 
devotee,  who  declared  that  St.  Peter,  yielding  to  his 
prayers,  had  given  him  that  ring.  But  now  you  see 
there  is  a  Swiss  guard  in  attendance,  lest  he  should 
give  up  even  the  cope  and  tiara,  in  order  to  be  able  to 
say  again,  '  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none.' " 

"Is  that  the  statue  which  they  say  was  formerly 
worshipped  as  Jupiter  in  the  Capitol  ?  " 

"  There  is  much  reason  to  believe  so,"  answered  I, 
"  because  such  is  the  tradition ;  and  the  statue,  though 
very  bad  as  a  work  of  art,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
brass  statues  of  the  middle  ages,  and  presents  the  char- 
acter of  art  before  it  was  improved  by  the  Greeks  in 
Rome." 

During  the  evening,  we  attended  the  illumination 
of  the  Cupola  and  the  girandola  (fire-works)  at  the 
Castle  S.  Angelo.  Both  were,  as  usual,  very  imposing 
spectacles ;  so  that,  on  going  home,  I  said  to  the  Span- 
iard, "  I  think  that  St.  Peter  must  be  satisfied ;  they 
have  done  a  great  deal  for  him  to-day,  and  to-morrow 
vou  will  see  something  more." 

"  I  will  see  nothing,"  replied  my  friend.  "  I  have 
seen  too  much." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


My  second  year  at  tlie  University  of  Bologna  passed 
like  the  first.  At  the  close  of  the  lectures  I  was  regu- 
larly admitted  among  the  candidates  for  the  second 
academical  degree,  namely,  the  "licenza"  (the  license), 
because,  having  begun  the  course  from  the  second 
year,  I  had  now  completed  the  third  year.  The  ex- 
amination proved  successful,  and  I  was  declared  a 
licentiate  at  law,  plenis  suffragiis.  Now  I  had  noth- 
ing better  to  do  than  to  take  my  vacation,  a  part  of 
which  I  intended  to  spend,  as  usual,  in  travelling  in 
Italy.  I  had  arranged  with  a  party  of  friends  to  make 
a  pedestrian  tour  in  the  neighboring  Venetian  terri- 
tory, then  to  go  to  Venice,  and  thence  sail  for  Sicily. 
I  applied  to  the  director  of  police  for  a  passport;  and 
he  informed  me  that,  on  account  of  my  suspicious 
conduct  in  politics,  I  had  been  placed  under  surveil- 
lance, and  could  not  be  allowed  to  travel  to  any  "  for- 
eign "  country. 

"  Is  Venice  a  foreign  country  for  an  Italian  ?  "  in- 
quired I,  in  a  careless  manner ;  and  this  question  was 
justifiable  in  itself  by  the  fact  that  Bologna  is  distant 
only  a  few  miles  from  Venice,  and  between  them  there 
is  only  a  plain,  crossed  by  the  river  Po,  and  thronged 
with  people   of  the   same   race,  language,  costume, 

(187) 


188  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

and  manners,  and  having  a  true  brotherly  affection 
among  themselves  ;  so  that  the  difference  is  less  appa- 
rent than  when  you  cross  the  river  at  Providence  to 
go  into  Massachusetts.  But  the  director  of  police 
burst  into  a  fit  of  indignation,  and,  had  I  not  hastened 
to  bow  and  leave  the  room,  I  should  probably  have 
been  ordered  to  prison. 

Disappointed,  angry,  and  troubled,  I  left  the  city, 
and  went  to  visit  the  great  cemetery,  or  Campo  Santo, 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  gate  called  Saragozza.  The 
magnificent  porticoes  or  arcades  covering  the  side- 
walks of  the  streets  in  the  city  have  been  purposely 
extended  to  the  Campo  Santo  ;  and  there  again,  form- 
ing several  squares  of  corridors,  they  present  the  idea 
of  a  small  city  for  the  dead,  peopled  with  statues,  in- 
scriptions, and  monuments.  Some  one  may  think  it 
strange  to  go  to  a  cemetery  in  order  to  dispel  bad 
spirits  and  sad  impressions,  and  to  seek  for  consola- 
tion among  the  dead.  But  who  can  explain  all  the 
mysteries  of  the  human  heart  ? 

Besides,  the  Campo  Santo  of  Bologna  is  a  very  ^ne 
place.  I  have  seen  many  cemeteries,  several  of  which 
had  some  peculiar  beauty  or  interest  not  to  be  found 
in  that  of  Bologna;  but,  considering  the  whole  and  its 
object,  I  think  that  Bologna  possesses  the  finest  burial- 
place  I  ever  saw.  The  green  turf  or  marble  tomb 
covers  the  remains  of  the  body,  and  nothing  revolting 
or  disagreeable  comes  to  trouble  the  mysterious  cor- 
respondence with  the  soul.'  The  spacious  and  airy 
arcades,  as  well  as  the  long  corridors,  dispose  the 
mind  to  meditation;  while  the  turf,  the  trees,  the 
varied  prospect  of  the  beautiful  surrounding  hills, 
and  the  fine  arts,  impart  elevation  to  the  thoughts. 

It  is  impossible  to  be  in  such  a  place  without  feel- 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  189 

ing  the  effect  of  the  combined  power  of  nature  and 
art  in  depriving  death  of  its  horror,  and  connecting  it 
with  hfe,  thus  estabhshing  on  their  boundaries  a  mys- 
terious communication,  by  means  of  sensible  images 
and  memorials  which  speak  of  glory,  of  virtue,  and  of 
love.  The  stern  republican  warrior,  and  the  learned 
lecturer  coeval  with  Dante,  are  there  among  the 
crowd  of  their  successors,  forming  a  chain  whose  last 
links  are  still  dropping  the  blood  of  the  revolutionary 
martyr,  who  dies  with  the  cry,  "  God  and  the  people!" 

Half  an  hour's  walk  along  the  beautiful  arcades  of 
the  west  had  the  effect  of  exciting  my  mind,  and 
placing  me  in  a  position  far  above  the  present  sad 
reality,  on  which  I  then  looked  with  serene  contempt. 
Among  the  crowd  of  noble  and  highly  distinguished 
souls  which  my  imagination  gathered  there,  all  look- 
ing kindly  upon  me,  very  poor  and  ugly,  of  course, 
seemed  the  figure  of  the  ignorant  and  debased  friar, 
calling  himself  master,  and  yet  trembling  upon  his 
bloody  throne.  Nor  did  his  director  of  police  appear 
to  me  less  despicable  than  himself,  compared  with  the 
great  statesmen  standing  before  me.  True,  those 
servile  beings  were  able  to  prevent  me  from  going 
to  Venice,  and  to  violate  my  personal  liberty  in  any 
way ;  but  it  was  of  no  importance  to  the  general  in- 
terest of  my  native  country  and  mankind,  which  main- 
tain their  progress  in  spite  of  all  opposition. 

Now,  entirely  relieved  from  the  trouble  of  mind  I 
had  felt,  I  took  my  way  homeward,  crossing  the  east 
square  leading  to  the  lateral  gate  opening  on  the  road 
through  which  I  came.  But,  before  leaving  the  place, 
I  turned  back  to  give  a  last  glance  at  the  beautiful 
panorama  formed  by  the  sun  setting  behind  the  near 
hills,   covered  with  villas,  vineyards,  and  luxuriant 


190  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

vegetation.  At  this  moment  I  discovered,  at  a  few 
steps  from  me,  two  ladies ;  one  of  whom,  very  old, 
was  sitting  upon  a  wooden  bench,  and  looking,  with 
manifest  interest,  on  the  graceful  figure  of  the  other, 
a  young  lady  of  about  fifteen,  who  on  her  knees 
leaned  upon  a  marble  block,  with  her  face  in  her 
hands.  She  was  in  mourning;  and  a  black  veil, 
secured  on  the  top  of  her  head,  fell  behind  on  her 
shoulders,  giving  brilliancy  to  her  fine  white  com- 
plexion, and  exciting  new  interest. 

I  stopped  almost  unconsciously  to  contemplate  that 
tender  being,  who,  in  the  prime  of  life,  was  there  to 
mourn  for  some  dear  relative,  and  perhaps  was  ab- 
sorbed in  an  ecstasy  of  grief,  recalling,  in  silence,  an 
early  history  of  sufi'ering  and  pain.  At  length  she 
raised  her  face  and  hands  to  heaven,  in  a  trusting  and 
supplicating  manner.  I  saw  then  two  large,  black, 
and  sparkling  eyes,  wet  with  tears,  and  her  tremulous 
lips  murmuring  a  prayer  with  such  an  expression  of 
innocence  and  faith  that  I  was  enraptured.  On  per- 
ceiving that  she  was  observed  she  blushed  a  little, 
rose  up,  and,  somewhat  confused,  went  to  her  com- 
panion, and  both  left  the  place.  They  entered  a 
modest  carriage  waiting  at  the  gate,  and  rapidly  dis- 
appeared from  my  sight. 

I  remained  almost  motionless,  and  without  breath- 
ing :  a  sharp  thrill  passed  through  my  heart,  and  a 
new,  mighty  sentiment  overwhelmed  me.  Why  so  ? 
I  had  seen  many  beautiful  young  ladies  in  Rome ; 
and  in  Bologna,  frequenting  the  brilliant  society  there 
during  the  last  two  years,  I  had  come  in  contact 
with  all  the  most  prominent  beauties  of  that  city. 
I  admired  them,  and  no  more.  Now  a  blooming 
girl,  whom  I  saw  but  a  moment,  and  for  the  first  time, 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  191 

had  created  quite  a  storm  of  passion  in  my  heart. 
Who  was  she,  that  fair  magician,  who  had  excited  in 
me  the  strongest  sentiment  of  Hfe  among  the  dwell- 
ings of  death?  This  was  another  question,  which 
remained  also  unanswered.  I  went  straight  to  the 
marble  block ;  but  it  was  only  the  base  of  a  little 
monument,  which  had  not  yet  been  placed  upon  it, 
and  so  there  was  no  name  ! 

I  could  not  sleep  at  all  that  night.  I  rose  at  dawn  ; 
and,  taking  with  me  a  favorite  collection  of  Italian 
poems,  I  went  to  breathe  the  cool  morning  air  at  the 
Montognola,  a  very  fine  public  promenade.  I  walked 
up  and  down  with  agitated  steps  ;  and  then,  sitting  on 
a  marble  bench,  I  opened  my  little  book.  The  first 
passages  which  came  under  my  eyes  were  the  two 
last  stanzas  of  a  popular  serenade : 

"  Dissi,  tengo  nel  core 
Ascosa  piaga  acerba 
Con  qualche  medic'  erba 
Sanami  per  pieta. 

"  Rise  il  buon  vecchio,  e  disse  : 
Fuggi  Colei  che  adori 
Erbe  per  te  migliori 
Alfesibeo  non  ha." 

The  sense  of  this  poem,  which  suggested  a  sudden 
flight  as  a  cure  for  love-sickness,  struck  me  at  that 
moment,  because  always  before,  when  I  read  from 
Tasso  how  Tancredi  fell  desperately  in  love  with  Clo- 
rinda,  having  seen  her  only  for  a  moment,  and  know- 
ing nothing  about  her,  I  used  to  consider  it  rather 
ridiculous.     Was  not  I  now  in  the  same  case  ? 

I  therefore  took  a  sudden  resolution  to  leave  Bo- 
logna that  very  day.     In  fact,  I  spent  the  night  at 


192  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

Imola,  twenty-two  miles  south  of  Bologna,  and  after- 
wards proceeded  to  Rimini,  where  my  brother  Henry 
lived.  I  stopped  there  a  few  days,  on  account  of 
some  business  concerning  "  Young  Italy."  On  the 
evening  of  my  arrival,  and  before  retiring  to  sleep,  I 
told  my  brother  that  I  wanted  to  get  up  early  the 
next  morning,  for  I  had  an  engagement. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  also  have  promised  to  see  a 
person  to-morrow  morning  at  an  early  hour." 

"  I  fancy,"  said  I,  jestingly,  "  that  you  will  not  go 
alone  to  the  place,  —  Love  will  probably  guide  you." 

"  Very  likely,"  replied  he  ;  "I  never  found  him  a 
bad  companion.  But  tell  me  if  Jio  has  not  played  you 
some  trick  in  Bologna,  for  you  have  a  rather  senti- 
mental air." 

I  told  him  my  story;  and  he  found  my  conduct 
very  prudent,  nay,  too  prudent  at  my  age. 

Next*  morning,  at  five  o'clock,  I  entered  the  place 
where  I  was  to  meet  some  fellow-laborers  of  "  Young 
Italy,"  who  had  requested  my  attendance  at-  an  im- 
portant convention ;  and  there  I  found  my  brother. 
Great  was  our  mutual  pleasure  at  this  meeting,  and 
I  confess  that  afterwards  I  loved  him  a  great  deal 
better  than  before.  He  was  only  one  year  younger 
than  I,  but  his  progress  in  his  studies  had  been  less 
rapid  than  mine,  and  he  had  chosen  another  profes- 
sion, so  that  we  were  almost  constantly  separated 
from  our  childhood.  Such  was  the  case  even  with 
our  youngest  brother,  who  was  then  at  Ravenna ;  but 
afterwards  I  discovered  that  he  also  had  grown  up  a 
warm-hearted  patriot.  "  They  are  from  a  good  stock," 
remarked  my  father  to  a  gentleman,  pointing  out  the 
uniformity   of   our  tendencies,   notwithstanding   the 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  193 

difference  of  the  circumstances  in  which  we  had  been 
brought  up. 

When  I  reached  Rome,  after  a  few  days,  my  mother 
was  quite  alarmed  at  my  sentimental  look.  "  Some- 
thing has  happened  to  you,"  said  she  ;  and  I  answered 
that,  when  in  the  Campo  Santo  of  Bologna,  a  spirit,  in 
a  bodily  form,  had  made  its  appearance  before  me. 
17 


CHAPTER    XXV 


A  FIRST  LOVE. 


My  vacation  was  not  so  happy  as  those  of  the  pre- 
ceding years  ;  the  surveillance  of  the  police  annoyed 
me  a  great  deal ;  some  of  my  friends  were  thrown 
into  prison,  and  some  were  sent  into  exile ;  my  former 
amusements  had  lost  their  attraction,  and  serious 
thoughts  occupied  my  mind.  Had  the  apparition  at 
the  Campo  Santo  of  Bologna  any  part  in  the  change 
in  my  feelings  ?  I  cannot  say  no,  although  I  was  not 
then  disposed  to  confess  it  even  to  myself,  for  I  tried 
to  forget  it,  and  I  thought  I  was  able  to  do  so.  I 
must  return  to  Bologna  to  finish  my  course,  and  I 
started  a  little  earlier  than  usual,  alleging,  however, 
many  good  reasons  for  it  to  myself  as  well  as  to  my 
family. 

The  vetturino  had  agreed  to  take  me  to  Bologna  by 
the  30th  of  October;  but,  owing  to  an  accident  we 
met  with  on  the  I'oad,  I  arrived  there  only  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  1st  of  November,  which  is  a  great 
holiday  in  the  papal  church.  The  ancient  Romans, 
besides  erecting  a  temple  to  each  one  of  their  princi- 
pal gods,  had  the  Pantheon  consecrated  to  all  the 
gods ;  they  offered  their  sacrifices  annually  in  all  the 
different  temples,  and  a  general  sacrifice  to  all  the 
gods  concluded  the   religious  festivals  of  the  year. 

(194) 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  195 

The  "  Pontifex  Maximus  "  preserved,  of  course,  this 
ancient  custom,  when  the  actual  religious  system  was 
introduced  during  the  darkness  of  the  middle  ages. 
So  that  a  great  general  feast  is  held  each  year  in 
honor  of  all  the  saints  who  are  not  conspicuous 
enough  to  deserve  a  particular  holiday.  The  first  of 
November  was  fixed  for  that  important  ceremony, 
destined  to  propitiate  the  immense  host  of  those 
nameless  saints. 

The  ancient  Romans  had  also  annual  sacrifices  and 
purifications  for  all  the  dead,  over  which  the  goddess 
Februa  presided;  and  this  ceremony  has  also  been 
preserved  and  adopted  by  the  papal  church,  fixing  the 
second  day  of  November  for  its  celebration.  So  that, 
as  soon  as  the  afternoon  service  in  the  honor  of  All 
Saints  is  over,  the  performing  priests  take  ofi"  their 
gay  festival  dress,  and  put  on  a  black  dress,  in  order  to 
sing  the  "  first  vespers  of  the  dead ; "'  for  at  every 
great  feast  there  must  be  the  singing  of  "first  ves- 
pers "  in  the  preceding  evening,  the  solemn  mass  in 
the  morning,  and  the  "  benediction  '^  in  the  afternoon. 

I  arrived  at  Bologna  in  season  to  attend  the  "first 
vespers  of  the  dead  "  at  the  Campo  Santo,  which,  on 
such  an  occasion,  presents  a  very  brilliant  and  amus- 
ing scene,  as  it  is  the  resort  of  all  the  gay  world  of 
Bologna.  I  dressed  myself  in  haste,  and  went  there  at 
an  early  hour  for  the  ceremony :  it  was  five  o'clock 
when  I  entered  the  gate  of  the  Campo  Santo.  I  con- 
fess that  on  crossing  it  I  experienced  an  indefinable 
thrill,  and  my  heart  beat  in  a  rapid  manner;  and 
behold!  the  first  object  I  met  was  the  "fair  young 
magician"  of  four  months  before,  attended  by  the 
same  old  lady,  and  in  the  act  of  leaving  the  place. 


196  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

They  evidently  had  performed  a  pious  duty,  and  now 
withdrew  from  the  crowd  of  the  gay  world. 

I  met  them  face  to  face.  I  do  not  know  what  be- 
came of  me ;  but  the  young  lady  blushed,  then  turned 
rapidly  pale,  casting  down  her  beautiful  eyes.  I 
almost  unconsciously  followed  them  at  some  distance; 
but  lo !  the  fatal  carriage  was  at  the  gate  to  take  them 
away.  The  young  lady  slipped  in  with  a  quick  and 
graceful  movement,  giving  a  short  and  furtive  glance 
towards  the  place  where  I  was.  No  one  else  would 
have  perceived  it,  but  I  saw  the  glance,  and  it  was  for 
me  an  eloquent  manifestation.  She  was  aware  of  the 
impression  which  she  had  made  upon  me,  and  was  glad 
of  it.  Perhaps  I  was  not  as  entirely  unknown  to  her 
as  she  was  to  me. 

I  went  directly  to  the  place  where  I  first  saw  her 
kneeling  in  prayer.  The  marble  block  now  supported 
a  small  basso  rilievo,  which  represented  a  little  Love 
weeping,  and  there  was  an  inscription  in  honor  of  a 
young  lady  of  "incomparable  modesty  and  beauty,'' 
who  died  at  nineteen.  Many  flowers  had  been  scat- 
tered around  the  monument,  and  a  large  crown  of 
flowers  was  upon  it,  exhibiting,  as  in  mosaic,  the  motto, 
"Nonti  scordar  di  me  che  son  la  tua  cara  sorella" 
(Do  not  forget  me  :  I  am  thy  dear  sister).  Now  I  had 
sufficient  indication  to  find  out  the  abode  of  this 
"  dear  sister,"  and  I  felt  exceedingly  anxious  to  obtain 
her  love  ;  nay,  I  reproached  myself  for  my  former 
heartless  determination  to  forget  her.  In  this  new  train 
of  thought,  I  crossed  several  squares  of  the  Campo 
Santo,  taking  but  little  notice  of  what  was  passing 
around  me,  and  went  out  by  the  principal  gate.  There 
I  found  a  poor  child,  perhaps  ten  years  old,  playing 
on  a  little  harp  to  obtain  some  trifle  from  the  passers- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  197 

by.  Thinking  but  little  of  what  befitted  the  place, 
the  little  urchin  sang  a  popular  love-song  with  the 
burden,  — 

''  Pu6  scordarsi  ogni  altro  amore  ; 

Ma  non  pud  non  pud  giammai 

II  primiero  uscir  dal  core." 

That  is,  "  We  are  able  to  forget  every  other  love  ; 
but  the  first  one  cannot,  cannot  at  all,  go  out  from  our 
heart.'^ 

"  True,  indeed ! "  exclaimed  I,  in  a  fit  of  passion ; 
and,  by  a  gift  of  twenty  cents,  I  made  him  the  happi- 
est boy  in  the  world. 

Next  morning  I  called  on  a  banking  firm,  to  whom 
I  had  a  note  from  a  banker  of  Rome,  requesting  that 
they  would  pay  me  a  monthly  sum  which  my  fa- 
ther had  arranged  to  pay  to  him,  as  is  customary  in 
Italy.  The  paying  teller  read  the  note,  and  inquired 
if  I  was  a  nephew  of  Dr.  Vincenzo  ;  and,  hearing  that 
I  was,  he  said,  "  It  is  well.  He  is  a  friend  of  mine ;  and, 
being  at  my  house  last  evening,  we  had  a  long  talk 
about  you,  for  he  knew  that  you  had  arrived  here, 
because  my  daughter  saw  you  yesterday  at  the  Campo 
Santo.  If  you  call  at  my  house  this  evening,  you  will 
hear  some  good  music,  and  gratify  me." 

This  invitation,  though  earnestly  and  kindly  ten- 
dered, gave  me  no  pleasure,  because  I  wished  to  spend 
the  evening  otherwise.  I  accepted  it,  however,  from 
politeness.  The  first  piece  of  music  had  just  been 
performed  when  I  went  there.  A  servant  introduced 
me  to  the  company,  by  announcing  my  name  in  a  loud 
manner,  as  they  do  in  Italy.  Soon  after,  another  per- 
formance was  announced.  "  It  is  the  damsel  of  the 
house,  who  will  play  on  the  harp  and  sing/'  said  a 
gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  who  stood  near  me. 
17* 


198  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

The  performance  met  with  great  approbation  in  the 
saloon,  and  really  deserved  it.  I  advanced  among  the 
crowd  of  hearers  to  present  my  compliments  to  the 
young  lady,  whom  I  discovered  to  be  the  fair  one  of  the 
Campo  Santo.  Being  overwhelmed  by  that  unexpected 
sight,  I  was  for  a  moment  unable  to  say  a  word.  But 
she  was  on  her  guard,  having  heard  my  name  an- 
nounced, and  immediately  relieved  me  by  saying  that 
she  was  happy  to  see  me,  and  knew  me  by  name  and 
by  sight.  She  spoke  with  apparent  ease,  but  often 
changed  color.  After  a  short  conversation,  a  dance 
was  called,  and  she  was  my  partner ;  she  then  took  my 
arm  for  a  little  walk  through  the  apartment  and  to  the 
refrer5hment  room.  We  had  much  talk  together  that 
evening ;  but  not  a  word  of  love  was  spoken,  nor  the 
least  allusion  made  to  our  double  meeting  at  the 
Campo  Santo.  However,  we  perfectly  understood 
each  other,  and  I  left  the  house  feeling  that  my  love 
for  her  was  boundless,  and  also  fully  returned. 

Next  day,  about  twelve  o'clock,  I  went  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  lady  of  the  house,  and  offer  my  thanks  to  her. 
She  received  me  with  great  kindness ;  but  the  young 
lady  was  not  there,  and  not  a  word  was  said  of  her. 
"  Miss  Enrichetta  is  an  able  performer  on  the  harp," 
said  I,  after  a  little  while  ;  and  the  lady  coolly  observed 
she  did  not  like  that  instrument.  I  took  my  leave, 
greatly  disappointed,  having  failed  in  the  main  object 
of  my  visit ;  but  I  had  gone  only  a  few  steps  from  the 
house,  when  I  met  a  waiting-maid  whom  I  had  seen 
there  the  last  evening.  I  saluted  her  politely,  and  we 
were  soon  engaged  in  close  conversation,  because 
waiting-maids  generally  are  a  communicative  people, 
and  never  look  cross  on  young  gentlemen.  From 
her  I  learned  that  the  lady  was  a  stepmother,  and 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  199 

the  young  lady  lived  with  her  grandmother,  who  was 
now  at  a  villa  not  far  from  the  city. 

Knowledge  of  music  is  a  common  thing  with  the 
Italians,  and  'I  also  knew  a  little  of  it.  I  dared  not, 
of  course,  expose  myself  with  my  flute  in  broad  day- 
light; but,  during  a  serene  moonlight,  I  sometimes 
consented  to  go  on  a  serenade  with  some  friends. 
Now  I  requested  several  of  them  to  come^  with  me 
for  the  same  purpose ;  and,  two  hours  after  midnight, 
on  the  5th  of  November,  a  sudden  performance  of 
instrumental  and  vocal  music  broke  the  solemn  silence 
and  awoke  the  inhabitants  of  that  villa.  We  could 
neither  see  nor  hear  anything  stirring  within.  The 
serenad^  concluded  with  a  piece  from  "Norma"  of 
Bellini,  where  are  the  words, — 

"  Vieni  in  Roma  vieni,  vieni,  o  cara ! 
Dove  amore  e  gioja  e  vita 
Innebrieran  nostr'  alme  a  gara 
Vieni  in  Roma,  vieni,  o  cara  !  " 

Which  means,  "  Come  to  Rome,  do  come,  dear  one ; 
there  love,  joy,  and  life,  shall  intoxicate  our  souls  ;  do 
come,  0  dear  one  !  " 

At  this  we  left,  I,  of  course,  being  last ;  and,  turn- 
ing my  head  to  the  locked  windows  of  the  silent 
house,  I  saw  something  drop  from  between  two  slats 
of  the  blinds,  and  fall  gently  to  the  ground.  I  rushed 
to  take  it,  and  no  one  perceived  what  had  happened. 
It  was  two  little  flowers,  —  the  one  red,  and  the  other 
white,  bound  tightly  together  with  a  green  ribbon. 
Their  meaning  was,  love  and  faithfulness  united  by 
hope. 

A  few  days  after,  a  regular  correspondence  had 
been   established  between  'Enrichetta  and  myself,  to 


200  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

the  great  satisfaction  of  her  relatives  as  well  as  of 
my  uncle,  who  by  chance  had  formerly  given  some 
hints  to  the  father  of  Enrichetta  that  I  would  be  a 
good  match  for  her.  So  the  beginning  was  exceed- 
ingly happy ;  nay,  too  happy,  alas  !  making  more  sen- 
sible the  sad  end. 

Enrichetta  was  then  sixteen  years  old.  She  was 
not  endowed  with  extraordinary  beauty:  her  charm 
was  that  her  soul  appeared  in  her  face,  and  beautiful 
was  that  soul.  She  was  able  to  dance,  to  play  on  the 
harp,  and  to  sing ;  but  her  literary  education  had  been 
entirely  neglected,  and  few  and  confused  were  the 
ideas  she  had  on  religious  matters.  She  felt  more 
than  she  reasoned,  but  she  had  much  natural  good 
sense,  and  her  feelings  were  exquisite.  A  marriage 
was  in  contemplation  between  us,  but  at  a  distant  time, 
that  she  might  strengthen  her  delicate  frame,  and  that 
I  might  reach  an  independent  position  in  society.  In 
the  mean  time  I  undertook  to  educate  her,  and  won- 
derful was  the  progress  she  made  in  a  short  time. 

I  did  not  neglect  my  studies  at  the  university;  nay, 
I  went  through  them  more  earnestly  than  before,  being 
intensely  anxious  soon  to  obtain  an  independent  posi- 
tion. I  devoted  to  study  the  whole  of  the  day ;  and, 
during  the  evening,  I  went  to  see  Enrichetta,  who 
was  constantly  with  her  grandmother,  a  very  amiable 
old  lady.  Sometimes  we  went  together  to  take  a 
walk,  to  visit  a  friend,  or  to  partake  of  amusement ; 
but  we  more  frequently  remained  at  home,  and  two  or 
three  hours  swiftly  elapsed  in  a  pleasant  and  instruc- 
tive conversation.  She  was  charmed,  above  all,  with 
my  religious  views,  and  the  old  lady  was  also  greatly 
interested  in  them.  It  was  to  them  a  revelation  of 
new  ideas  generating  new  feelings,  which  they  cher- 


THE    ROMAN    EXILE.  201 

ished  instead  of  the  false  insinuations  and  coarse  im- 
positions of  the  papal  priests,  against  which  their  good 
sense  had  often  revolted. 

In  teaching  Enrichetta,  I  experienced  a  great  im- 
provement myself.  I  felt  that  she  was  a  great  deal 
better  than  I,  and  was  therefore  anxious  to  amelio- 
rate and  purify  my  own  soul.  But  she  was  improving 
every  day :  instruction  and  love  gave  a  sublime  eleva- 
tion to  her  innocent  mind.  She  loved  with  the  ardent 
passion  of  an  Italian ;  but  there  was  such  purity,  lofti- 
ness, and  modesty  in  her  feelings,  countenance,  and 
behavior,  that  I  could  not  help  feeling  for  her  a  cer- 
tain mysterious  respect,  and  I  often  repeated  to  myself, 
"  No  man  is  able  to  love  as  she  does."  She  was  able 
to  read  to  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  and  perceived  that 
there  was  something  I  kept  secret  from  her ;  but  she 
dared  not  make  any  inquiry.  One  evening,  however, 
the  news  having  arrived  that  five  young  gentlemen 
had  been  imprisoned  in  Rome  and  would  be  put  to 
death  for  being  members  of  "  Young  Italy,"  she  tim- 
idly inquired  if  I  belonged  to  that  society. 

"  You  are  in  a  state  of  alarm  this  evening,"  said  I, 
"  and  your  good  sense  abandons  you  for  the  moment : 
otherwise  you  would  not  have  asked  such  a  question, 
because  you  cannot  expect  from  me  any  but  a  neg- 
ative answer,  which  will  not  dispel  your  doubts,  for, 
if  such  were  the  case,  I  would  not  certainly  debase 
myself  in  your  eyes  by  breaking  a  solemn  promise  of 
absolute  silence." 

"  You  are  right,"  she  replied ;  "  but  keep  it  in  your 
mind  that  I  love  Italy  as  much  as  you  do,  and  there  is 
no  sacrifice  which  I  would  refuse  for  her."  She  spoke 
with  a  firm  and  resolute  voice,  fixing  upon  me  the  sig- 
nificant glance  of  her  sparkling  eyes ;  but  a  red  and 


202  Til!']    ROMAN   EXILE. 

almost  livid  spot  appeared  on  her  cheeks,  showing  an 
internal  struggle  too  great  for  her  physical  strength. 

Eight  months  elapsed  too  rapidly  for  us.  I  was 
created  doctor  both  of  civil  and  canon  law,  and  deter- 
mined to  return  home  to  complete  my  practical  stud- 
ies, and  afterwards  to  open  my  office  as  a  lawyer.  It 
was  arranged  that,  on  the  next  and  the  following  year, 
I  should  spend  the  months  of  September  and  October 
— that  is,  the  time  of  the  vacations  —  in  Bologna; 
and  that  our  marriage  should  take  place  in  the  Sep- 
tember of  the  third  year.  I  therefore  departed  from 
Bologna,  and  went  to  Ravenna,  where  my  father  had 
requested  me  by  letter  to  meet  him,  having  some 
family  concerns  which  he  wished  to  communicate  to 
me. 


CHAPTER   XXYI. 

A  BAD   JOURNEY. 

^'I  AM  sorry  I  have  bad  news  for  you,"  said  my 
father,  when  I  met  him  in  Ravenna.  He  then  ex- 
plained to  me  that  his  patrimony  had  been  greatly 
diminished  by  many  misfortunes  as  well  as  extraordi- 
nary expenses;  and  that,  for  this  reason,  he  was 
forced  to  give  up  his  house  in  Rome,  and  retire  with 
the  family  to  a  country-seat  which  he  had  inherited 
from  his  mother,  together  with  two  farms'  adjoining, 
under  good  cultivation.  "  I  have  set  apart,"  said  he, 
^^  a  sufficient  fund  to  complete  the  education  of  your 
two  brothers,  and  enable  them  to  enter  upon  the  pro- 
fessions which  they  have  chosen.  As  for  you,  who  are 
the  eldest  son,  I  will  give  you  the  absolute  manage- 
ment of  the  house,  and  the  remainder  of  my  fortune. 
You  shall  marry  and  become  the  head  of  our  family." 

This  arrangement  was  in  accordance  with  the  cus- 
toms of  Italy,  and,  eight  months  before,  I  should  per- 
haps have  subscribed  to  it  without  any  difficulty ;  but 
now  I  objected  that,  by  giving  up  my  intended  pro- 
fession and  bringing  a  wife  into  the  house,  I  should 
not  improve  the  economical  condition  of  the  family. 

^^I  have  thought  of  that,"  answered  my  father. 
"  Here  in  Ravenna  there  is  an  old  friend  of  mine  —  a 
gentleman  of  fortune  —  who  has  an  only  daughter ; 

(203) 


204  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

and  he  agrees  to  marry  her  to  you,  giving  her  a  large 
portion.  We  went  to  see  her  some  days  ago  at  the 
convent,  where  she  resides  for  her  education.  I  found 
her  to  be  a  stout  young  lady,  with  a  happy  face  and 
rosy  cheeks;  and  she  was  very  glad  to  hear  that 
her  father  had  chosen  for  her  a  worthy  young  gentle- 
man." 

"  All  right,"  interrupted  I ;  "  but,  in  the  first  place, 
I  do  not  like  to  marry  a  lady  of  fortune,  for  I  want 
a  tender  companion  and  not  a  lofty  mistress.  Sec- 
ondly, I  do  not  like  young  ladies  brought  up  in  con- 
vents, for  generally  they  are  hypocritical.  And, 
besides,  I  am  not  fond  of  fat  and  stupid-looking  girls. 
Finally,  I  am  in  love  with  a  young  lady  in  Bologna." 

^^  That  is  enough,"  interrupted  my  father ;  "  and,  by 
putting  this  last  reason  first,  you  might  have  spared 
the  others." 

In  fact,  he  was  too  reasonable  a  man  and  too  afiec- 
tionate  a  father  to  think  of  imposing  any  kind  of  sac- 
rifice upon  me,  especially  as  he  had  himself  married 
according  to  his  own  inclination,  giving  up  the  ad- 
vantage of  being  united  to  a  lady  of  fortune.  "  Let 
us  speak  no  more  of  it,"  added  he ;  "  but  remember 
that  the  present  state  of  my  fortune  does  not  allow 
me  to  help  you  as  much  as  I  wish.  All  that  I  am 
able  to  do  is  to  pay  you  the  usual  monthly  income  for 
two  years  more." 

'^  That  is  all  I  want,"  answered  I. 

I  met  in  Ravenna  one  of  my  former  school-fellows, 
somewhat  older  than  I,  who  had  chosen  for  himself  a 
seafaring  life.  He  commanded  a  schooner  of  his  own, 
going  to  and  fro  between  Ravenna  and  Venice,  —  a 
sail  of  five  hours  in  good  weather. 

'^  I  will  take  you  to  Venice  and  bring  you  back,  only 


THE  ROMAN   EXILE.  205 

for  the  pleasure  of  your  company/^  said  the  young 
captain. 

I  informed  him  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to 
get  a  passport  for  Venice. 

"  Never  mind/'  said  he ;  "  all  the  hands  on  board 
are  trustworthy  fellows,  and  I  can  land  you  there  in 
spite  of  the  police ;  and,  provided  you  come  on  board 
after  dusk  for  the  night,  they  will  not  be  able  to  dis- 
cover you." 

I  yielded  to  the  temptation  of  seeing  Venice,  which, 
next  to  Rome,  had  the  greatest  attraction  for  me. 

I  had  been  five  days  in  Venice,  and  had  already  seen 
a  few  of  the  most  prominent  objects  which  she  pre- 
sents, when,  toward  dusk,  sitting  in  the  cofi*ee-house 
called  Floriano,  a  magnificent  establishment,  on  the 
Square  of  St.  Mark,  a  gentleman  took  a  seat  near  me 
and  politely  saluted  me.  I  answered  by  bowing  my 
head,  and,  taking  up  from  the  table  a  newspaper,  I 
began  to  read  attentively.  The  gentleman  must  have 
understood  that  I  did  not  wish  to  enter  into  any  con- 
versation with  him ;  but  he  persisted  in  his  attempts, 
and  finally  inquired  if  I  was  a  native  of  Venice.  I 
made  a  gesture,  expressing  that  his  persistence  an- 
noyed me.  At  this,  instead  of  being  disconcerted, 
the  gentleman  familiarly  grasped  my  arm,  and  whis- 
pered in  my  ear  those  eloquent  words,  "  You  must  go 
with  me  to  the  office  of  the  police."  At  the  door  of 
the  coffee-house  were  four  policemen  in  disguise,  who 
took  me  under  their  care.  They  lodged  me  in  a 
prison,  after  having  minutely  inspected  the  whole  of 
my  clothing  and  taken  away  my  pocket-book,  purse, 
watch,  and  a  miniature  of  my  lady-love. 

On  the  third  day  after  my  imprisonment,  I  was 
brought  before  a  kind  of  judge  of  police ;  he  was  a 
18 


206  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

frowning  German,  whose  appearance  was  as  bad  as 
his  employment.  He  had  before  him  all  the  objects 
which  they  had  taken  from  me,  including  my  passport, 
good  only  for  internal  circulation  in  the  Roman  State, 
and  exhibiting  the  last  signature  of  the  police  of  Bo- 
logna, "Yisto  buono  per  (good  for)  Ravenna."  After 
many  trifling  interrogations,  the  commissary  of  police 
inquired  why  and  for  what  purpose  I  had  intruded 
myself  into  Venice  without  a  regular  passport.  I 
answered  that  I  had  applied  in  vain  for  a  passport, 
but  had  yielded  to  my  great  desire  of  seeing  Yenice, 
and  that  this  was  my  only  object. 

"  It  may  be,"  observed  the  commissary ;  "  nay,  all 
the  information  I  have  obtained  about  you  seems  to 
confirm  your  statement.  I  will  therefore  pardon  you 
as  to  any  punishment  concerning  the  passport  law; 
but  I  cannot  avoid  sending  you  by  corrispondenza 
to  the  boundaries  of  your  own  State." 

There  was  not  ready  a  sufficient  number  of  compan- 
ions to  send  me  with,  and  I  was  kept  five  days  more 
in  confinement.  At  length  I  was  taken  out  from  the 
prison.  A  cartman,  with  a  poor  horse  and  a  miserable 
two-wheeled  car,  was  ready  at  the  door.  Iron  chains 
were  put  on  my  hands,  and  I  was  fastened  to  the  car 
with  a  rope.  There  were  already  seven  criminals  in 
the  car,  three  of  whom  were  ruffians  to  be  restored  to 
the  papal  government,  and  the  others  were  thieves, 
already  condemned,  and  now  going  to  the  galleys. 
Of  course  such  a  company  was  not  congenial  to  my 
disposition,  nor  did  they  like  my  presence  any  better. 
The  contrast  between  us  was  very  striking.  I  was  a 
youth  of  delicate  frame,  light  complexion,  fashionably 
dressed,  and  brought  up  with  refined  feelings  and 
manners;   they,  on  the  contrary,  were  strong  men. 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  207 

of  savage  looks,  coarse  appearance  both  in  manners 
and  dress,  and  inured  to  crime. 

The  car  crossed  the  lagoon  upon  a  boat,  and  then 
proceeded  to  Ponte-Lago-scuro,  where  we  arrived  on 
the  second  day.  I  need  not  say  that  during  the 
journey  my  moral  and  physical  sufferings  were  dread- 
ful. The  sun  caused  me  a  severe  headache ;  my  face 
was  burnt,  and  my  hands  were  much  hurt  both  by  the 
chains  and  the  intense  heat.  I  was  delivered  up  to 
the  papal  commissary,  to  whom  had  been  previously 
sent  all  the  articles  taken  from  me ;  and  I  was  then 
permitted  to  travel  freely  to  Ravenna,  because  for 
that  place  I  had  a  regular  passport.  My  father  was 
stni  there,  and  in  great  anxiety,  because  he  had  heard 
of  my  imprisonment,  and  suspected  it  to  be  from  a 
more  serious  cause. 

I  started  with  my  father  for  Rome ;  but,  passing 
through  Fuligno,  I  met  a  party  of  friends,  who  pre- 
vailed on  me  to  make,  along  with  them,  a  pedestrian 
excursion  to  Assisi,  and  then  to  Perugia.  I  went  to 
the  police  and  obtained  on  my  passport  a  new  signa- 
ture,—  "  Yisto  buono  per  (good  for)  Perugia.'' 

Assisi  is  a  pretty  little  town,  only  ten  miles  west  of 
Fuligno,  and  owes  its  renown  to  St.  Francis  (San  Fran- 
cesco D'Assisi),  who  was  born  there,  and  has  now  a 
magnificent  cathedral,  where  his  bones  are  visited  and 
worshipped  by  pilgrims.  I  confess,  however,  that  this 
was  not  the  reason  why  we  were  attracted  to  the 
place.  We  wished  to  see  the  frescoes  of  the  cathe- 
dral, painted  by  Cimabue  and  Giotto,  the  illustrious 
founders  of  the  modern  school  of  painting. 

Time  has  done  some  injury  to  those  frescoes,  but 
their  brilliant  and  vivid  colors  are  untouched,  to  defy 
the  imitation  of  modern  art.     Their  subjects  are  taken 


208  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

from  the  life  and  pretended  miracles  of  the  patron 
saint.  We  admired  the  work,  without  sympathizing 
with  the  object.  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  it  will  be 
remembered,  laid  the  foundation  of  the  "  begging 
friars,"  —  a  sect  which  rapidly  spread  throughout  all 
Europe,  like  a  plague.  They  profess  the  general  doc- 
trine of  the  papal  church,  that  it  is  a  great  sin  against 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  pretend  to  save  ourselves  without 
merits;  and  the  highest  merit  for  them  consists  in 
leading  an  idle  life  in  comfortable  convents,  and  beg- 
ging from  door  to  door  for  their  support.  Unfortu- 
nately, there  are  in  every  country  a  great  many  pol- 
troons, who  prefer  such  a  life  to  honest  labor ;  and, 
where  they  are  not  prevented  by  laws  or  public  opin- 
ion, but,  on  the  contrary,  are  praised  and  promised 
paradise  by  a  false  system  of  religion,  they  will  be 
constantly  numerous,  and  exercise  a  dreadful  influ- 
ence in  corrupting  the  morals  and  perverting  the 
ideas  of  the  common  people. 

From  Assisi  I  went  with  my  friends  to  Perugia,  a 
beautiful  city,  which  occupies  tlie  summit  of  a  large 
hill  covered  with  olive-trees,  and  overlooking  an  ex- 
tensive plain,  and  smaller  hills  of  charming  beauty. 
At  the  foot  of  the  hill  we  crossed  the  Tiber,  here  a 
small  stream,  and  the  first  object  we  met  was  a  for- 
tress, erected  in  such  a  manner  that  it  was  of  no  use 
except  against  the  city.  In  fact,  there  was  an  inscrip- 
tion upon  the  principal  gate  showing  the  object  of  it 
by  the  Latin  words,  "  Ad  compescendos  feroces  Peru- 
ginorum  mores ; "  and  the  history  of  its  erection  was 
this :  Perugia  being  constantly  restless  under  the 
yoke  which  the  popes  often  attempted  to  impose  upon 
her,  one  of  them,  Paul  the  Third,  requested  the  mu- 
nicipal authority  to  grant  him  some  vacant  ground, 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  209 

that  he  might  erect  a  hospital  for  the  poor  of  the  city 
at  his  own  expense  ;  and  then  managed  the  erection 
so  well  that  the  inhabitants  perceived  he  had  made  a 
fortress  instead,  when  the  demolition  of  an  external 
masking  wall  discovered  to  them  the  cannon  levelled 
against  their  houses. 

As  my  friends  and  myself  entered  the  gate  of  the 
city  near  the  fortress,  a  sentinel  ordered  us  to  stop, 
and  a  police  officer  came  forward,  requesting  us  to 
exhibit  our  passports.  I  put  my  hand  into  my  pocket 
to  take  out  my  pocket-book;  but,  to  my  great  surprise 
and  distress,  I  found  that  it  was  missing,  with  the 
passport  within.  I  told  this  to  the  officer,  adding  that 
I  thought  I  had  been  robbed  of  it  when  visiting  the 
subterranean  chapel  in  the  cathedral  of  Assisi,  and 
my  friends  testified  to  their  having  seen  my  passport 
before  that  moment.  The  officer  conveyed  me  to  a 
prison  in  the  fortress,  sending,  at  the  same  time,  a 
report  of  the  occurrence  to  the  police  office,  and  men- 
tioning that  I  was  with  a  party  of  young  men  from 
Fuligno,  two  of  whom  were  known  to  him  as  sus- 
picious characters  in  politics. 

Perugia  is  exceedingly  interesting  in  its  monu- 
ments, and  especially  in  the  fine  arts.  There  Raphael 
went  to  school,  and,  when  ten  years  old,  furtively 
painted  the  head  of  his  great  teacher,  Pietr5  Peru- 
gino,  who,  discovering  it,  said,  "  This  boy  will  become 
the  greatest  painter  in  the  world."  But  my  greatest 
attraction  in  that  city  was,  that  in  the  evening  the 
sister  of  my  friend  Mattia  was  to  ofi'er  an  entertain- 
ment of  extemporaneous  poetry,  for  she  was  an  im- 
provisatrice,  and  I  wished  to  be  present  to  hear  as 
well  as  to  encourage  her.  But  there  was  no  remedy, 
and  I  spent  the  night  in  a  dungeon.  Next  morning, 
18* 


210  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

however,  by  a  gift  of  five  dollars,  I  obtained  the  privi- 
lege of  being  brought  immediately  before  the  director 
of  police. 

He  told  me  that^  I  could  get  out  of  the  scrape,  and 
avoid  being  sent  to  Rome  by  corrispondenza,  if  there 
were  in  the  city  two  gentlemen  of  high  respectability 
who  would  bear  testimony  that  they  knew  me  to  be  a 
young  man  whose  oath  might  be  relied  upon.  I  imme- 
diately named  two  friars,  of  uncommon  learning  and 
virtue.  They  came  at  once,  and  caused  my  release ; 
a  paper  being  given  to  me  that  I  might  reach  Rome 
unmolested.  My  acquaintance  with  those  friars,  and 
their  readiness  to  help  me,  proceeded  from  the  fact 
that  they  belonged  to  "  Young  Italy."  I  started  for 
Rome,  and  reached  it  happily  after  this  bad  journey. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

THE  YOUNG  LAWYER. 

My  family  left  Rome  a  few  days  after  my  ^return  to 
that  city,  and  I  remained  there  in  the  condition  of  a 
student.  Extensive  and  comfortable  boarding-houses 
are  not  kiiown  in  Rome.  Those  who  have  no  home 
are  accommodated  by  some  private  family,  or  they 
hire  a  furnished  apartment,  and  take  their  meals  at  the 
restaurants  and  coffee-houses.  Not  liking  either  of 
these  modes  of  living,  I  preferred  to  take  a  small 
house,  which  I  furnished  from  the  large  one  which  my 
father  gave  up.  A  young  sister  of  mine  chose  to 
remain  with  me,  to  keep  my  house,  and  accomplish  her 
education  under  my  direction.  As  she  was  a  smart 
housekeeper,  we  were  able  to  get  on  quite  well,  in 
spite  of  our  very  small  income. 

To  pursue  the  practical  course  prescribed  by  the 
law,  I  sought  admission  into  the  office  of  a  distin- 
guished lawyer,  who  was  also  a  lecturer  at  the  uni- 
versity. He  was  a  narrow-minded  man,  both  in 
politics  and  in  religious  matters ;  but  he  was  thor- 
oughly honest,  charitable  to  the  poor,  and  a  practical 
lover  of  justice  in  all  his  public  and  private  inter- 
course. For  that  reason  I  chose  him,  for  I  was 
convinced  that  in  such  a  profession  great  is  the 
facility  of  doing  wrong  with  impunity,  and  dreadful 

(211) 


212  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

are  the  consequences  of  its  abuses.  A  lawyer,  with 
equal  facility,  will  be  the  best  as  well  as  the  worst 
man  in  society. 

In  that  study  were  about  twenty  young  doctors  of 
law,  all  for  the  purpose  of  pursuing  their  practical 
course  :  none  of  them  were  paid  except  one  acting 
as  their  chief,  and  constantly  engaged  in  helping  the 
lawyer.  The  most  common  exercise  in  which  we 
were  engaged  was  to  take  notes  of  the  cases  and 
opinions  as  they  were  exposed  by  the  lawyer,  and  to 
seek  for  a  law,  a  decision  of  the  superior  tribunal,  or 
a  passage  of  an  esteemed  author  bearing  upon  them. 
Sometimes  the  lawyer  gave  some  one  of  us  a  bundle 
of  papers  and  deeds  concerning  a  trial  or  suit,  to  be 
thoroughly  examined,  and,  after  some  days,  he  held  a 
discussion  upon  it,  and  charged  the  pupil  to  prepare  a 
defence  in  writing  for  that  case. 

I  set  myself  to  work  with  all  the  earnestness  of  a 
young  man  of  active  mind  and  firm  will,  who  has 
before  him  the  prospect  of  great  happiness,  to  be  ob- 
tained by  his  success.  My  efforts  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  lawyer,  and,  after  nine  months,  his  assistant 
having  completed  his  course  and  resigned  the  place,  I 
obtained  it,  though  I  was  the  last  comer  among  the 
twenty  pupils  of  that  lawyer.  It  was  with  the  tidings 
of  so  promising  a  commencement  that  I  went  to  spend 
my  vacation  in  Bologna.  There  I  completed  my  prac- 
tical course  of  two  years  from  the  epoch  of  my  licen- 
tiate-at-law,  prescribed  to  those  who  intend  to  be 
admitted  at  the  bar  in  the  character  of  attorneys  ('pro- 
curatori)^  —  a  class  lower  than  lawyers  (avvocati). 

On  my  return  to  Rome  I  sought  for  admission  to 
the  bar  as  an  attorney,  without,  however,  interrupt- 
ing my  course  of  five  years  from  the  epoch  of  my 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  213 

doctorate,  required  for  those  who  wish  to  practise 
before  the  superior  ecclesiastical  tribunals.  A  short 
time  after  this  I  was  admitted  as  a  pleading  lawyer 
before  the  criminal  courts,  which  are  deemed  less  im- 
portant than  the  others  by  the  pope. 

The  chancellor  of  the  criminal  court,  called  of  the 
Capitole,  informed  me  that  my  assistance  had  been 
immediately  requested  by  a  prisoner.  I  went  to  take 
a  copy  of  the  documents  of  the  trial,  and  was  shocked 
on  seeing  that  there  was  no  opportunity  for  the  action 
of  a  lawyer,  and  that  I  was  to  appear  before  the  court 
for  the  first  time  with  a  desperate  case.  The  prisoner, 
twenty-two  years  old,  and  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  was 
accused,  and  fully  proved  guilty,  of  having  stabbed  to 
death  an  officer  of  the  government,  who  was  quietly 
walking  in  the  street,  in  broad  daylight,  and  in  the 
presence  of  a  crowd  of  people.  But  to  decline  the 
request  would  be  against  the  principle  of  honor  which 
prevails  among  lawyers. 

I  asked  permission  to  converse  with  the  prisoner, 
and  it  was  granted.  He  was  known  to  me,  and  I  had 
thought  him  to  be  an  honest,  laborious,  and  good- 
hearted  fellow;  but  he  confessed  that  he  had  com- 
mitted the  crime  with  deliberate  intention.  I  then 
inquired  for  the  reason  of  that  resolution,  when  the 
young  man,  blushing,  sobbing,  and  trembling  with 
anger,  told  me  a  sad  history.  He  was  acquainted,  too 
intimately,  perhaps,  with  a  beautiful  young  girl  whom 
he  had  intended  to  marry ;  but,  as  she  had  excited  his 
jealousy  by  suspicious  conduct,  he  broke  his  con- 
nection with  her.  She  seemed  but  little  shocked  by 
this  event.  Some  days  had  elapsed,  when  the  curate 
called  on  the  young  man,  and,  after  a  short  preamble 
concerning  the  state  of  the  young  girl,  told  him  he 


214  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

must  marry  her  immediately  ;  and  that,  if  he  did  not, 
he  should  be  condemned  to  a  heavy  punishment.  The 
young  man  yielded,  because,  notwithstanding,  his  sus- 
picions, his  conscience  did  not  absolve  him. 

The  young  man  now  redoubled  his  activity,  in  order 
to  earn  the  means  for  the  support  of  his  wife,  and  of 
a  pretty  child  which  soon  came  to  augment  his  family, 
so  that  he  generally  left  the  shop  at  a  late  hour  in  the 
evening.  But  one  day,  not  feeling  well,  he  went  home 
earlier  than  usual,  and  found  at  the  door  of  his  house, 
in  a  dark  and  narrow  street,  an  officer  of  the  govern- 
ment, with  whom  he  was  slightly  acquainted.  This 
officer  addressed  him  by  saying  that  he  was  there 
waiting  for  him,  because  he  had  something  important 
to  communicate ;  and  he  drew  the  young  man  a  little 
beyond  the  house,  so  as  to  speak  more  freely.  At 
this  the  young  man  heard  a  slight  noise  behind  him, 
and,  turning  suddenly,  saw  a  person  clad  in  priestly 
dress  flying  with  light  steps  from  the  door  of  his 
house. 

An  altercation,  of  course,  took  place  between  the 
young  man  and  the  officer,  who  pretended  to  know 
nothing  about  the  runaway  priest.  The  woman  ex- 
plained it  by  saying  that  he  was  a  pious  prelate, 
visiting  the  houses  of  the  poor,  to  afford  relief  and 
consolation.  Peace  was  restored,  but  without  mutual 
confidence.  Fifteen  days  had  elapsed  from  this  event, 
when  the  shoemaker,  going  home  in  the  evening, 
found  the  entrance  of  the  street  in  which  he  lived 
besieged  by  soldiers,  who  allowed  no  one  to  pass 
through.  He  tried  to  get  home  by  the  opposite  open- 
ing of  the  street,  but  found  the  same  obstacle  there. 
Finally,  a  carriage  came  out  from  the  street,  and,  soon 
after,  the  soldiers  left  the  place  under  the  direction  of 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  215 

the  said  officer.  This  mysterious  affair  excited  much 
gossip,  and  caused  a  very  bad  state  of  mind  in  the 
shoemaker,  who  gave  it  vent  by  abusing  and  beating 
his  wife. 

Next  evening,  as  he  entered  the  door  of  his  house, 
he  was  seized  by  some  soldiers,  who  put  manacles  on 
his  hands,  and  brought  him  to  prison.  The  same  offi- 
cer was  there,  and  entered  the  house.  The  prisoner 
was  taken  to  the  public  prison,  and  kept  among 
thieves  and  criminals  of  every  kind  during  five 
months.  He  was  never  interrogated,  and  saw  no  one 
but  the  jailer,  who,  after  that  period,  set  him  free,  and 
told  him  to  go  home.  Near  to  his  house  he  met  an 
old  woman,  living  opposite  to  him,  who  gave  him 
such  information  of  what  had  transpired  during  the 
period  of  his  imprisonment  as  to  make  him  shudder 
with  jealous  fury.  His  wife  was  evidently  prepared 
to  receive  him.  A  good  dinner  was  ready,  and  all 
looked  comfortable  in  the  house.  He  seized  a  knife, 
and  made  a  rush  on  her.  She  sheltered  herself  with 
the  child,  and  cried  for  mercy.  He  suddenly  left  the 
house  again,  and,  meeting  the  officer  in  a  neighboring 
street,  gave  him  a  blow  which  resulted  in  his  death 
five  days  after. 

The  same  day  on  which  I  went  to  speak  to  the 
prisoner,  a  post-mortem  examination  was  to  be  held 
on  the  body  of  the  murdered  man.  I  had  a  right  to 
attend  it,  and  went  in.  Criminal  laws  in  Italy,  where 
there  is  no  question  of  politics  or  religion,  are  gener- 
ally good.  They  do  not  punish  the  intent,  but  the 
act,  and  take  the  measure  of  the  intention  from  the 
effect.  In  every  case  the  first  inquiry  is,  whether  a 
crime  has  been  committed,  and  then  whether  the 
accused  has  committed  it ;  finally,  whether  the  author 


216  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

is  responsible  to  human  justice,  and  to  what  degree. 
Under  a  law  enacting  these  principles,  it  was  not  a 
difficult  task  for  me  to  save  the  culprit  from  capital 
punishment ;  but  I  wished  to  obtain  something  more 
than  this. 

After  an  exact  search  made  upon  the  corpse  to 
ascertain  that  there  was  no  external  wound  but  that 
which  was  supposed  to  have  caused  the  death,  the 
surgeon  opened  the  chest,  tracing  the  wound  to  the 
internal  cavity  where  it  had  penetrated,  and  then 
declared  that  it  was  sufficient  to  produce  death,  with- 
out any  other  cause. 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  but  this  does  not  exclude  the  pos- 
sibility of  there  having  been  some  other  cause, — for 
instance,  a  poison."  At  this  the  surgeon  opened  the 
stomach,  when  I  saw  something  of  a  white  color,  in  a 
state  of  imperfect  digestion  ;  and  I  said,  "  Here  is  the 
poison." 

The  surgeon  observed  that  it  was  only  the  "holy 
wafer  "  administered  to  the  man  in  his  last  hour ;  and 
this  was  clear  even  to  me ;  but,  being  then  in  a  funny 
humor,  I  said,  "  It  cannot  be,  because,  according  to 
the  doctrine  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  bread 
used  for  the  communion  is  '■  transubstantiated '  into 
the  true  blood  and  flesh  of  our  Lord,  and  becomes 
food  for  the  soul,  instead  of  undergoing  the  natural 
process  of  digestion  in  the  body." 

At  this  a  professor  of  chemistry  was  called  in,  and, 
after  a  regular  analysis,  he  declared  that  it  was  noth- 
ing but  a  small  compound  of  farina  and  water,  now  in 
a  state  of  imperfect  digestion.  Thus  the  affair  ended 
for  the  moment,  but  afterwards  it  caused  me  a  serious 
persecution. 

The  case  was  in  a  short  time  brought  before  the 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  217 

court,  and  I  perceived  that  there  was  some  high  per- 
sonage urging  the  matter,  and  anxious  to  have  the 
culprit  condemned,  at  least  to  imprisonment  for  life. 
In  fact,  the  prosecuting  officer  charged  him  with  a 
cold-blooded  murder,  committed  for  political  purposes, 
and  from  hatred  to  the  government. 

Though  the  culprit  confessed  to  have  given  the 
blow,  and  I  did  not  deny  it,  many  witnesses  were  in- 
troduced to  prove  the  fact  and  identify  the  prisoner. 
I  began  my  defence  by  excluding  the  pretended  politi- 
cal character  of  the  crime,  and  went  on  to  prove  that 
a  jealous  fury,  excited  by  the  circumstances  above 
related,  had  led  my  client  to  the  desperate  deed.  I 
dwelt  long  on  this,  to  show  that  there  had  been  a  high 
degree  of  provocation.  But,  for  the  interest  of  my 
client,  I  charged  the  murdered  man  with  those  crimi- 
nal actions  in  which  he  evidently  had  been  only  the 
base  accomplice  of  a  more  guilty  one,  whom  I  never 
mentioned.  I  succeeded  in  proving  my  case  against 
the  one  now  dead ;  but  the  other  was  living,  and 
occupying  an  office  of  great  dignity  and  power,  and  I 
had,  therefore,  no  hope  of  being  able  to  convict  him. 
The  culprit  was  condemned  to  ten  years  of  simple 
imprisonment,  and  much  credit  was  given  to  me  for 
the  defence. 

19 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

AN  UNJUST  ACT  OF  JUSTICE. 

A  SHORT  time  after  my  first  admission  at  the  Roman 
bar,  much  excitement  was  produced  by  a  very  extra- 
ordinary event.  Monsignor  Abbo,  a  prelate,  and  a 
great  favorite  of  Cardinal  Lambruschini,  the  premier 
of  the  pope,  was  deprived  of  all  his  privileges,  and 
degraded  to  the  rank  of  a  layman,  by  a  papal  bull ; 
and  then  he  was  tried,  convicted,  sentenced,  and  exe- 
cuted under  the  rule  of  the  common  law.  It  was  of 
course  despotic  and  unjust  for  the  pope  to  make  a  law 
correcting  a  system  of  injustice,  in  order  to  meet  a 
particular  case.  In  fact,  a  priest,  and  much  more  a 
prelate,  enjoys  the  privilege  of  being  punished  in  a 
less  degree  than  a  layman  for  the  same  crime,  and  can- 
not be  put  to  death ;  so  that,  to  deprive  a  man  of  the 
privilege  of  his  caste,  and  make  him  subject  to  a  new 
and  more  severe  law  after  the  perpetration  of  crime, 
is  in  itself  a  bad  thing. 

The  pope  was  moved  less  by  the  enormity  of  the 
crimes  committed  by  that  prelate  than  by  the  public 
murmuring,  and  by  the  necessity  of  afi*ording  some 
tremendous  example ;  for  the  crimes  of  the  ecclesias- 
tics were  unusually  numerous,  and  of  such  a  character 
as  to  prove  the  deepest  corruption  and  a  total  absence 
of  religious  faith.     Impunity  had  made  them  regard- 

(218) 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  219 

less  and  audacious.  But  this  was  not  the  whole,  for 
the  evil  lay  in  the  root  of  the  tree.  The  pope  himself 
was  well  known  to  be  drunk  every  evening,  and  to  be 
kept  constantly  under  the  irresistible  influence  of  his 
famous  waiter  (called  Gaetanino)  and  his  wife,  and  the 
priests  and  prelates  were  recruited  by  admitting  any 
persons  they  were  able  to  find.  I  never  saw  an 
honest  young  man  embrace  the  ecclesiastical  profes- 
sion when  it  was  in  his  power  to  choose  another. 

Among  my  fellow-students  at  the  university  of  Bo- 
logna there  was  a  certain  Perfetti^  who  was  perfect 
only  in  wickedness,  speaking  and  acting  constantly  as 
if  there  were  no  God,  no  virtue,  and  no  morals  in  the 
world.  During  the  second  year  I  was  there  he  dis- 
appeared, and  a  rumor  was  spread  that  a  sickness, 
caused  by  his  intemperate  habits,  had  brought  him  to 
the  tomb.  Now,  almost  four  years  after,  I  met  this 
individual  at  a  coffee-house  in  Rome.  He  was  clad 
in  priestly  dress,  and  sat  among  a  circle  of  young  men, 
talking  of  the  occurrence  of  the  day,  namely,  the 
trial  of  Monsignor  Abbo.  I  addressed  him,  but  with 
little  kindness  of  manner,  saying,  "  Take  care,  Abbot 
Perfetti,  for  the  new  attire  you  have  put  on  seems  no 
longer  to  secure  impunity." 

"  Now  I  am  a  new  man,"  answered  he ;  "  and  I  am 
glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of  testifying  to  you  my 
regret  for  the  scandal  which  I  gave  the  people  when 
I  was  at  the  university.  On  the  occasion  of  a  dread- 
ful sickness,  I  took  the  determination  of  making  my- 
self a  friar,  and  entered  the  order  of  the  Dominicans, 
where  I  have  been  till  lately.  At  my  request  I  was 
discharged,  and  am  now  occupied  as  secretary  to 
Monsignor  Marini,  and  as  teacher  in  the  ecclesiastical 
seminary." 


220  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

On  hearing  this  statement  I  made  no  observation, 
though  I  did  not  believe  that  he  had  changed,  except 
in  dress  and  manners. 

He  continued  his  history  of  Monsignor  Abbo  by 
saying  that  he  had  been  formerly  a  friar  of  the  same 
order  with  himself,  and  was  dismissed  under  the  fol- 
lowing circumstances:  He  had  among  the  habitual 
attendants  at  his  confessional  a  fair  young  girl,  who 
kept  a  shop  opposite  the  convent.  After  a  certain 
time  she  gave  up  her  spiritual  director  and  chose  for 
that  office  a  younger  friar  of  the  same  convent. 
Father  Abbo  was  much  incensed  by  her  inconstancy, 
and,  turning  his  rage  against  her  new  confessor,  he 
followed  him  after  dinner  into  a  dark  corridor,  and 
assassinated  him  with  a  table-knife,  and  fled. 

"  Had  the  friars,"  continued  Abbot  Perfetti,  "  been 
able  to  catch  the  murderer,  he  would  no  doubt  have 
expiated  his  crime  in  a  vade  in  pacenij  and  nobody 
would  have  known  anything  of  him  or  of  his  deeds ; 
but,  having  made  his  escape,  he  was  only  dismissed 
from  the  order,  and,  to  avoid  scandal,  the  event  was 
buried  in  silence,  as  well  as  the  dead  body.  But  the 
whole  has  now  been  brought  to  light  before  the  court 
by  mandate  of  the  pope,  in  order  to  prove  the  early 
perversion  of  that  impious  man." 

"  Where  was  he  born  ?  "  inquired  I. 

"  In  a  village  near  Savona,"  answered  Perfetti,  "  to 
which  he  repaired  when  he  fled  from  Rome.  His 
brother  had  by  his  industry  accumulated  a  respecta- 
ble fortune,  and  Monsignor  Abbo  coveted  it  as  the 
means  of  a  brilliant  career,  which  he  now  intended  to 
try  at  the  papal  court.  In  short,  he  prevailed  on  his 
weak-minded  brother  to  make  in  his  favor  a  regular 
donation  of  all  his  property.     Monsignor  Abbo  went 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  221 

to  Eome,  knowing  that  the  friars  had  kept  silence,  and 
would  continue  to  do  so,  for  their  own  interest ;  and, 
as  he  obtained  powerful  protectors,  his  success  was 
beyond  his  most  sanguine  expectations.  But,  in  the 
mean  time,  his  brother  married  his  own  servant  girl, 
by  whom  he  had  a  son,  and  thus  the  donation  which 
he  had  made  was  annihilated  by  the  disposition  of  the 
law." 

"  This  explains,"  observed  a  young  man  of  the 
party,  '^  the  hatred  of  Monsignor  Abbo  towards  that 
innocent  child.  But  how  did  he  succeed  in  having 
the  child  brought  to  Rome  and  placed  in  his  power?  " 

"He  received  him,"  answered  another,  "from  the 
hands  of  the  unhappy  parents.  Six  years  had  elapsed, 
and  they  thought  that  all  rancor  had  vanished  from  the 
heart  of  the  prelate,  who  pretended  to  be  anxious  for 
the  education  of  the  child,  there  being  no  school  in 
the  village." 

"  There  are  different  versions,"  observed  I,  "  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  crime  was  committed,  and  then 
discovered.  I  should  like  to  know  the  true  state  of 
the  case." 

"  I  can  tell  you,"  answered  one  of  the  party,  "  for 
my  uncle,  in  his  capacity  of  assistant  to  the  chancellor 
of  the  tribunal,  was  present  during  all  the  trial.  Mon- 
signor Abbo  lived  in  the  second  story  over  the  coffee- 
house called  Veneziano,  and  the  window  of  his  bed- 
room looked  into  the  Via  del  Caravita,  opposite  the 
dwelling  of  an  elderly  lady,  who,  from  a  window  a 
little  loftier  than  his,  could  discover  the  interior  of  the 
room  when  the  blinds  were  opened,  for  the  street  was 
narrows  One  evening  at  a  late  hour,  when  that  lady 
was  enjoying  the  cool  breeze  at  her  window,  and 
there  was  no  light  in  her  room,  she  heard  from  the 
19* 


222  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

opposite  window  the  suffocated  screaming  of  a  child. 
She  looked  towards  it.  The  blinds  were  closed ;  but, 
a  portion  of  one  of  them  having  fallen,  an  opportu- 
nity was  thus  given  for  an  uncertain  glance.  She 
thought  that  she  saw  something  too  horrible  to  relate, 
but  she  was  not  sure  of  it. 

"Two  days  after,  just  as  she  was  looking  from  her 
window,  the  blinds  of  the  opposite  room  were  opened 
a  little  by  the  wind.  Some  one  hastened  to  shut  them 
again ;  but  she  caught  sight  of  a  very  pretty  boy  hav- 
ing his  little  hands  tied  with  a  rope,  and  a  gag  in  his 
mouth.  Four  days  after  this,  the  lady,  when  engaged 
in  making  her  toilet,  heard  from  the  street  the  singing 
of  the  119th  Psalm,  beginning  in  Latin  with  the  words, 
'Beati  immaculati  in  via  qui  ambulant  in  lege  Domini ; ' 
and  thus  she  understood  that  there  was  a  funeral 
procession  carrying  away  a  dead  child.  At  this,  she 
was  seized  with  a  kind  of  inspired  fury  ;  and,  without 
looking  through  the  window,  she  rushed  into  the 
street  in  great  disorder,  and,  seeing  a  small  coflSn 
taken  away  from  the  opposite  house,  cried  out  with 
desperate  force,  '  Stop  it  I  stop  it !  there  is  a  mur- 
dered child  in  the  coffin.^ 

"  The  priests  seemed  to  take  her  for  a  mad  woman, 
and  went  straight  forward  with  their  procession,  con- 
stantly singing  the  same  psalm.  But  two  gendarmes 
on  horseback  happened  to  pass  at  that  moment :  and, 
being  convinced,  from  the  behavior  of  the  lady,  that 
there  must  have  been  something  wrong,  they  ordered 
the  curate  to  stop  the  procession  and  let  the  coffin  be 
opened.  At  this  the  curate  was  indignant,  and  re- 
minded the  gendarmes  that  the  act  of  stopping  a 
funeral  procession  was  punished  by  law  with  excom- 
munication and  ten  years  imprisonment.     But,  a  large 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  223 

crowd  of  people  gathering  immediately,  they  took  the 
coffin,  and  tumultuously  brought  it  to  the  hospital  of 
S.  Giacomo,  caUing  for  the  surgeons  of  the  institution 
to  open  it  and  examine  the  contents.  All  shuddered 
with  horror  when  they  saw  the  body  of  a  child,  six 
years  old,  literally  covered  with  wounds,  which  had 
been  evidently  inflicted  during  a  succession  of  days, 
and  at  the  same  time  exhibiting  the  traces  of  a  most 
horrible  outrage. 

"  It  should  be  remarked  that  this  monster  constantly 
made  a  public  show  of  piety,  and  of  an  almost  fanatic 
zeal  for  the  papal  religion.  He  achieved  his  devilish 
work  of  destruction  on  the  child  at  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  put  the  corpse  into  a  coffin  which  he  had 
bought  the  day  before,  nailed  it  up,  and  then  went  as 
usual  to  say  mass.  He  was  also  continually  in  the 
habit  of  committing  one  of  the  most  detestable  sins 
immediately  before  going  to  say  mass  on  every  occa- 
sion of  a  great  solemnity  of  the  church.  This  marked 
contempt  of  the  mass  had  influenced  the  mind  of  the 
pope  against  him  more  than  the  other  crimes  would 
have  done.'' 

"  Then  we  are  obliged,"  observed  I,  "  to  the  zeal  of 
that  elderly  lady  for  having  cut  short  the  career  of  a 
prelate  who  would  have  become  a  cardinal  of  the  Holy 
Church,  and  then  perhaps  a  very  holy  pope  under  the 
name  of  Pius,  Clement,  &c." 

"The  newspapers  of  France  and  Germany,"  ob- 
served another,  '^  have  been  very  severe  in  relating 
this  event.  Sol  am  told  by  a  relative  of  mine,  who 
came  back  but  yesterday  from  France." 

"  It  has  made  a  great  noise,"  said  Abbot  Perfetti, 
"  because  the  culprit  was  a  prelate." 

"  I  do  not  deny,"  answered  I, "  that  even  among  lay- 


224  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

men  there  are  wicked  characters ;  but,  considering  the 
education  which  he  had  received,  his  office  as  a  priest, 
the  absence  of  allurements  and  provocation,  and  the 
nature  of  his  crimes,  I  declare  that  no  layman  of  our 
age  can  be  compared  with  him  in  iniquity." 

"  Well,  it  may  be,"  replied  Abbot  Perfetti ;  "  but  you 
see  that  there  is  justice  even  for  prelates." 

"Do  not  quote  a  peculiar  case  as  if  it  were  a  gen- 
eral rule,"  said  I.  "  For  one  who  has  been  fitly  pun- 
ished, I  can  show  you  many  who  during  this  very  year 
met  no  punishment  at  all,  or  were  but  lightly  punished 
for  great  faults,  because  of  their  privileges  and  ex- 
emptions. Cardinal  Delia  Genga,  for  instance,  arch- 
bishop of  Ferrara,  introduced  discord  into  a  nunnery 
which  he  too  often  visited.  His  favorite  nun.  Miss 
Maffei,  belonging  to  a  noble  family  of  that  city,  died 
in  consequence  of  a  fight  with  another  jealous  nun. 
At  this,  the  people  were  indignant,  and  raised  a  mob 
against  the  archbishop,  who  fled,  amidst  a  shower  of 
stones  thrown  against  his  carriage.  The  only  conse- 
quence has  been  the  exile  of  a  brother  of  the  deceased 
nun,  because  he  did  not  know  how  to  hold  his 
tongue." 

"You  have  forgotten,"  observed  Abbot  Perfetti, 
"  that  Cardinal  Delia  Genga  has  been  deprived  of  his 
rich  archbishopric  of  Ferrara." 

"  That  happened,"  answered  I,  "  because  he  dared 
not  go  there  again :  in  fact,  he  has  been  rewarded  by 
obtaining  another  office  more  congenial  to  him, 
namely,  the  Governorship  of  Urbino  and  Pesaro. 
And  what  has  been  the  punishment  of  Monsignor 
Antonelli,  who  in  Macerata  destroyed  the  domestic 
peace  of  Count  L ,  and  caused  a  separation  be- 
tween him  and  his  beautiful  lady  in  the  sixth  month  of 


THE  EOMAN  EXILE.  225 

their  marriage  ?  He  received  a  higher  employment  in 
Rome ;  and,  before  long,  we  shall  see  him  a  cardinal. 
Abbot  Ralli  has,  indeed,  been  put  into  prison  for  some 
months ;  but  was  this  a  suflScient  punishment  for  his 
having  ruined,  both  in  mind  and  body,  more  than 
twenty  deaf  and  dumb  children  whom  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  teach  ?  " 

I  would  have  added  several  other  instances  to  prove 
that  privileges  overcome  justice;  but  a  suspicious- 
looking  fellow,  taking  a  seat  near  us,  put  a  stop  to  our 
too  free  conversation. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

YOUNG  ITALY  ABROAD. 

"  Young  Italy/'  an  Italian  child  born  abroad,  en- 
tered his  father's  land  in  spite  of  the  passport  law 
and  of  a  hundred  thousand  watching  soldiers.  He 
travelled  the  whole  length  of  the  country ;  and,  like  a 
new  Hercules  in  his  cradle,  he  took  hold,  with  strong 
hands,  of  the  two  hideous  serpents  —  Monarchy  and 
Papacy  —  which  attempted  to  kill  him.  The  dreadful 
struggle  is  not  over  j  but  it  is  evident  that  "  Young 
Italy  "  is  constantly  gaining  strength.  His  head,  placed 
beyond  the  reach  of  those  monsters,  gives  a  powerful 
direction  and  impulse  to  the  well-combined  movements 
of  the  body.     What  will  be  the  consequence  ? 

It  is  a  great  fact,  that  a  few  exiles,  scattered 
abroad  and  passing  their  lives  in  sorrow  among  stran- 
gers, have  the  power  of  keeping  all  Italy  in  constant 
agitation,  and  of  uniting  her,  despite  of  the  greatest 
obstacles,  in  the  generous  effort  for  independence 
and  freedom.  Many  absurd  explanations  of  it  have 
been  invented  by  the  enemies  of  Italy,  and  credited  by 
writers  either  unable  to  understand  the  true  feelings 
of  the  Italians,  or  unwilling  to  do  justice  to  them. 
There  is  a  long  chain  of  love  by  which  the  strong 
impressions  of  the  Italians  abroad  are  conveyed  to  act 
upon  their  brethren  at  home,  and  the  wires  of  this 

(226) 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  227 

mighty  telegraph  are  far  beyond  the  reach  of  political 
and  religious  despotism. 

Among  the  numerous  foreigners  who  from  time  to 
time  brought  to  us  in  Rome  some  tidings  or  commu- 
nications from  our  friends  abroad,  I  have  a  distinct 
recollection  of  a  Dr.  William,  who  had  travelled  many 
years  in  America,  England,  Germany,  and  France,  and 
who  was  now  about  to  travel  in  Italy.  He  was  a  warm 
friend  of  Mazzini,  Foresti,  Garibaldi,  and  other  chiefs 
of"  Young  Italy,"  and,  from  the  character  of  those  illus- 
trious outcasts,  had  been  induced  to  sympathize  with 
the  Italian  cause.  But,  like  the  greater  part  of  the  so- 
called  "  friends  of  Italy,"  he  felt  disposed  to  find  some 
excuses  for  the  charges  generally  and  constantly 
brought  against  that  country,  instead  of  disbelieving 
them.  I  must  say,  however,  that,  after  travelhng  two 
years  in  Italy,  and  coming  into  close  contact  with  the 
Italian  people.  Dr.  William  changed  his  mind  entirely; 
and,  in  a  work  on  Europe  which  he  published,  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  Italians  were  better  fitted 
and  more  prepared  for  free  institutions  than  any  other 
people  in  Europe. 

I  had  occasionally  some  interesting  conversations 
with  that  gentleman  and  my  friends  Fabio  and  Mattia. 

"  I  confess,"  said  he  one  evening,  "  that  all  that  I 
have  seen  of  the  influence  at  home  of  your  exiles,  and 
of  your  devotion  to  the  cause  of  your  native  country, 
has  filled  my  mind  with  amazement  and  admiration." 

"  We  disclaim  any  kind  of  merit,"  answered  Mattia. 
"  An  Italian  who  does  not  love  Italy  with  all  his  heart 
must  be  either  a  stupid  or  a  wicked  man.  She  has 
many  claims  to  the  self-devotion  of  her  children.  Not 
to  speak  of  her  blessed  soil  and  charming  skies,  who 
does  not  know  that  Italy  was  the  greatest  ancient 


228  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

nation,  the  mother  of  modern  civilization,  and  then  the 
victim  of  religious  and  political  despotism,  which  was 
constantly  supported  here  by  foreigners?  To  the 
two  glorious  epochs  of  Italy  we  must  add  a  third  no 
less  conspicuous  period.  A  thousand  unsuccessful 
attempts  could  not  shake  our  faith ;  for  it  is  an  ancient 
virtue  of  the  Italians  never  to  despair  of  their  native 
country. 

"  For  the  same  reason,"  added  Mattia,  "  we  look 
upon  our  political  outcasts  with  feelings  of  gratitude 
and  veneration.  They  have  attempted  to  promote 
the  national  ransom :  it  was  not  their  fault  that  they 
did  not  succeed.  They  set  noble  examples  by  putting 
at  stake  their  comfort,  their  property,  and  their  lives, 
and  by  bearing  witness  to  our  common  faith.  Their 
indomitable  souls  drew  new  vigor  from  their  misfor- 
tunes, and  were  purified  by  their  sufierings.'^ 

"  I  admire  your  generous  confidence,"  said  the  doc- 
tor, "and  believe  it  to  be  highly  deserved  by  your 
exiled  friends.  I  have  known  many  of  them  in  dif 
ferent  parts  of  the  world,  and  I  have  found  among 
them  some  characters  that  do  honor  to  Italy  as  well  as 
to  mankind.  Not  to  speak  of  Mazzini,  who  is  per- 
fectly worthy  of  his  great  renown,  I  take  pleasure  in 
naming  two  noble-minded  men  whom  I  met  in  Amer- 
ica, namely.  General  Garibaldi,  at  the  south,  and  Pro- 
fessor  Foresti,  at  the  north,  both  chiefs  of  *  Young 
Italy '  in  those  countries.  Distance  and  long  absence 
perhaps  prevent  them  from  being  well  known  and 
appreciated  among  you." 

"  Do  not  believe  so,"  said  I.  "  Italy  is  an  afiectionate 
mother,  who  never  loses  sight  of  the  children  driven 
from  her  breast.  For  ages  she  has  had  constantly  to 
mourn  over  the  fate  of  her  best  sons,  burnt  by  the 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  229 

Inquisition,  slanghtered  by  foreign  oppressors,  or 
driven  into  strange  lands ;  and,  if  anything  can  soften 
her  grief,  it  is  her  anxious  watching  over  her  out- 
casts, and  her  tender  rejoicing  when  they  earn  esteem 
and  glory  in  hospitable  lands,  —  the  only  field  left  to 
them  for  the  free  development  of  their  genius.  We 
go  so  far  in  this  sentiment  that  we  rejoice  in  the  suc- 
cess of  Sismondi,  Leo  Burlamachi,  and  other  writers 
of  Switzerland  and  Germany,  because  their  fathers 
were  among  the  victims  of  the  suppression  of  the  re- 
ligious reformation  in  Italy." 

"  Now  I  remember,"  said  Dr.  William,  "  that  Profes- 
sor Foresti  was  a  native  of  Ferrara,  for  Miss  Sedgwick, 
writing  from  that  place,  said,  ^  Its  chief  interest  to  us 
arises  from  its  being  the  home  of  our  friend  Foresti, 
whose  character  does  it  more  honor  than  all  this 
princely  house  of  Este  from  beginning  to  end.'  Do 
any  of  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  We  are  too  young  for  that,"  answered  I,  "  for  he 
was  imprisoned  during  the  year  1820,  and,  sixteen 
years  after,  was  put  on  board  of  a  man-of-war  and 
sent  to  America ;  but  my  father  knew  him  well,  and 
has,  from  the  time  of  their  school-life,  been  a  constant 
admirer  of  his  genius  and  character.  Foresti  was 
fortunate  in  possessing  fine  talents  united  to  corpo- 
real strength  and  beauty.  His  manners  were  cour- 
teous and  his  disposition  benevolent,  but  he  was 
animated  by  an  irresistible  desire  for  action.  In  the 
prime  of  his  youth  he  fled  from  the  paternal  roof,  in 
order  to  follow  the  adventurous  expeditions  of  Napo- 
leon, who  was  then  at  war  with  England  and  Russia. 
Taken  home  by  force,  being  not  of  age  and  an  only  son, 
Foresti  turned  his  active  mind  to  study.  He  grad- 
uated when  very  young,  and,  the  university  of  Bo- 
20 


230  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

logna  recommending  him  to  the  government  as  one  of 
her  most  promising  young  men,  he  obtained  an  honor- 
able employment  at  the  court  of  his  native  city.  But 
soon  after  the  papal  restoration  fell  upon  it  like  a 
fearful  curse  from  heaven. 

'^  For  such  a  noble  mind  it  was  impossible  to  bow 
before  religious  and  political  despotism ;  and  he  could 
not  submit  to  the  hypocritical  practices  which  were 
required  of  him.  He  therefore  resigned  his  office 
and  left  the  city,  crossing  the  river  Po  into  the  Vene- 
tian State,  where,  though  despotism  existed,  it  was  less 
intolerable  and  debasing  than  the  papal  system.  The 
Au&trian  government  there  welcomed  a  youth  who  had 
already  earned  a  reputation  not  less  for  ability  than 
for  fine  sentiment  and  an  ardent  love  of  justice.  He 
was  therefore  made  a  pretor  (a  judge  with  ample  juris- 
diction), although  very  young.  But  he  loved  freedom 
with  the  same  ardor  as  justice,  and  possessed  then 
those  republican  feelings  which  stamped  his  character 
with  uncommon  strength  and  admirable  firmness 
throughout  all  his  life. 

"  Foresti  was  taken  to  a  dreadful  dungeon  when  he 
was  just  on  the  eve  of  a  congenial  marriage.  It  was 
discovered  that  he  was  one  of  the  principal  leaders 
of  the  ^  Carbonari,'  who  had  excited  the  anxiety  of  all 
governments  in  Italy  and  abroad,  and  whose  plan  it 
was  essential  to  know  in  order  to  defeat  it.  Hence 
Foresti  was  spared  no  allurements,  threats,  deceitful 
tricks,  or  moral  and  physical  tortures;  and  the  axe 
of  the  executioner  was  held  over  his  neck  from  day 
to  day  during  two  months.  How  much  he  sufi'ered 
during  sixteen  years  of  imprisonment  I  need  not  say, 
for  the  tragical  horrors  of  Spielbergh  have  been 
thrown  open  before  the  world,  and  the  very  name  of 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  231 

that  infamous  place  makes  every  feeling  heart  shud- 
der. But  the  manner  in  which  he  bore  all  this  has 
been  the  best  example  set  before  the  Italian  youth.  I 
have  felt  its  influence  on  myself  when  my  father  pur- 
posely spoke  to  me  of  it,  and  I  feel  it  even  now,  as 
do  also  many  of  my  friends. 

"  There  is  a  Frenchman,  M.  Andryane,  who  was  an 
eye-witness, — he  himself  having  been  an  inmate  of  the 
Spielbergh.  He  speaks  of  Foresti  as  a  man  of  un- 
common energy,  whose  talents  and  character  would 
have  done  honor  to  Italy,  had  she  been  free ;  regrets 
the  cruelty  of  denying  him  the  means  of  developing 
his  comprehensive  views  in  jurisprudence  and  political 
economy ;  and  depicts  him  as  a  man,  with  stern  look 
and  bushy  eyebrows,  who  seemed  to  bear  his  fate  in 
such  a  manner  as  ought  to  have  reconciled  his  com- 
panions to  theirs. 

"  I  do  not  intend  to  diminish  in  the  least  the  merit 
of  those  martyrs,  by  saying  they  were  dejected  and 
broken  down  by  sufferings  far  beyond  what  human 
nature  can  endure ;  but  I  cannot  help  admiring  him 
who,  though  first  arrested,  last  set  at  liberty,  and 
privileged  with  harsher  treatment,  came  out  unbroken. 
His  companions,  like  Pellico, '  left  politics  aside,  and 
spoke  of  other  things,'  nor  did  they  recognize  the 
progress  which  had  taken  place  during  their  captivity : 
they  did  not  understand  the  effect  of  their  own  work 
and  example.  Only  Foresti  hastened  to  rejoin  the 
laborers  in  the  new  field,  and  set  himself  at  work  with 
them.  This  was  a  great  acquisition  for  'Young 
Italy.'" 

"  Since  you  are  so  well  informed,"  said  Dr.  Wil- 
liam, "  and  so  much  interested  in  the  concerns  of 
Professor  Foresti,  let  me  tell  you  how  he  is  thought 


232  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

of  in  America:  it  will  gratify  yonr  praiseworthy 
pride  in  the  success  of  your  fellow-citizens  abroad. 
In  fact,  the  noble  sons  of  Washington  were  able  to 
understand  and  appreciate  the  elevated  mind  of  that 
great  lover  of  justice  and  freedom.  Distinguished 
statesmen  of  all  parties,  learned  clergymen,  and  high- 
minded  ladies,  surrounded  him  with  that  tender 
friendship  which  alone  could  soothe  his  mind  ^and 
heart,  after  such  dreadful  sufferings.  I  think  that  no 
foreigner  has  enjoyed  in  the  United  States  a  more  gen- 
eral and  constant  regard,  or  a  more  tender  affection, 
—  which,  however,  are  fully  justified  by  his  conduct. 

"  Foresti,^'  added  Dr.  William,  "  is  still  not  only 
unbroken,  but  full  of  life,  with  a  clear  mind,  and  a  true, 
warm,  Italian  heart.  Speak  to  him  of  independence, 
of  freedom,  or  of  Italy,  and  he  wiU  shine  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  an  ardent,  juvenile  mind.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  occasion  which  made  me  acquainted  with 
him.  He  was  seated  opposite  me  at  a  dinner-party 
which  was  given  by  a  common  friend  in  New  York. 
I  knew  Foresti  only  by  name ;  but  he  has  a  Roman 
physiognomy  so  well  marked  that  I  guessed  him  imme- 
diately. There  was  at  the  table  a  distinguished  Eng- 
hsh  nobleman,  a  member  of  Parliament,  and  a  diplo- 
matic agent.  As  a  matter  of  mere  talk,  he  began  to 
abuse  Italy  and  Italians,  and  rehearsed,  with  a  serious 
and  dignified  countenance,  the  most  absurd  charges 
ever  invented  against  your  nation. 

"  The  greater  part  of  the  guests  had  been  in  Italy, 
and  all  were  men  of  good  sense,  being  perfectly 
aware  that  ^  his  grace  '  would,  in  Germany,  France,  or 
elsewhere,  be  equally  liberal  towards  America  and 
Americans.  They  therefore  paid  but  little  attention 
to  his  commonplace  slanders.     But  this  was  not  the 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  233 

case  with  Foresti.  The  frequent  changes  of  color 
and  the  convulsed  movements  of  his  face  made  me 
aware  that  each  of  those  words  fell  bitterly  upon  his 
heart.  He,  however,  restrained  himself  till  the  ^  noble 
gentleman '  went  on  to  pass  the  highest  eulogium  on 
the  Austrian  government,  which  he  affirmed  to  be 
paternal,  wise,  and  just,  though  a  little  too  mild  for 
the  wicked  nature  of  the  Italians.  At  this,  Foresti 
could  not  help  manifesting  a  generous  indignation, 
which  was  like  a  flash  of  lightning  thrown  on  the  lofti- 
ness of  his  character.  The  English  nobleman  himself 
felt  its  overwhelming  power,  and  tried  to  soothe  that 
noble  wounded  soul.'' 

"  Such  a  man,"  observed  I,  "  gifted  by  nature  with 
uncommon  talent  and  energy,  and  who,  having  passed 
through  so  many  dreadful  trials,  comes  out  from  them 
with  a  purified  and  more  elevated  character,  has 
evidently  another  mission  to  fulfil  than  the  noble 
example  he  has  given.  Foresti,  I  have  no  doubt,  will 
see  Italy  again,  help  her  to  struggle  for  liberty,  and 
lay  down  his  bones  in  peace  in  his  father-land." 

"God  grant  it!  "  answered  in  concert  all  my  com- 
panions. 

A  little  pause  ensued;  and  Fabio,  turning  to  Dr. 
William,  said:  "As  a  further  proof  that  we  watch 
over  our  exiled  countrymen  in  every  land,  let  me  tell 
you  that,  a  few  months  ago,  a  ten-cent  subscription 
was  circulated  throughout  Italy,  and,  in  spite  of  aU 
the  terror  of  the  police,  was  covered  with  thousands 
of  signatures,  in  order  to  off'er  a  testimonial  to 
General  Garibaldi  for  his  heroic  military  deeds  in 
South  America.  He  was  one  of  the  first  victims  of 
'■  Young  Italy,'  and  too  young  then  to  be  known;  but 
20* 


'■\,JL.     O'-  V-  <K-v    ^ 


234  THE    ROMAN  EXILE. 

he  has  been  accredited  for  what  he  did  in  that  foreign 
land,  as  a  proof  of  what  he  will  yet  do  for  Italy." 

"  Where  was  Garibaldi  born  ?  "  inquired  Dr.  Wil- 
liam. 

Fabio  answered :  "  In  Nizza,  or  Nice,  as  foreigners 
call  it,  —  one  of  the  most  healthy  and  pleasant  cities 
of  Italy ;  but  its  mild  climate  has  not  enervated  the 
inhabitants,  who  are  intrepid  sailors  and  good  war- 
riors. In  the  year  1543,  shamefully  abandoned  to  the 
fury  of  a  large  Turkish  and  French  navy,  they  fought 
bravely,  and  repulsed  it,  and  a  lady,  Cattarina  Segu- 
ana,  was  their  leader.  Massena,  the  greatest  general 
of  our  age  except  Napoleon,  to  whose  victories  he 
contributed  so  much,  was  a  native  of  Nizza ;  and  so 
was  Miollis,  another  of  the  great  generals  of  Napo- 
leon." 

"  I  have  seen  in  Russia,"  interrupted  Dr.  William, 
"  an  Itahan  exile,  also  from  Nizza,  whose  name  was 
Liprandi.  By  his  own  merit  he  reached  the  dignity 
of  general  of  the  army,  and  was  much  esteemed  at 
the  court." 

"  It  is  always  with  pain,"  answered  Fabio,  "  that  we 
behold  our  best  military  men  exerting  their  genius 
and  shedding  their  blood  in  the  service  of  foreign 
nations;  but,  unfortunately,  they  have  no  better 
ground  on  which  to  develop  their  talents,  and  are 
constrained  to  use  for  others  that  strength  which  they 
cannot  devote  to  their  native  country.  But,  even  in 
this  case,  we  like  to  see  them  taking  the  side  of  the 
oppressed,  and  fighting  for  freedom,  as  many  formerly 
did  in  Greece  and  Spain,  and  as  now  General  Ventura 
helps  the  poor  native  Indians  against  the  barbarous 
cruelty  of  the  English  merchants  in  Asia.  But,  even 
in  this  respect.  Garibaldi   has  set  a   great  example. 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  235 

He  was  not  moved  by  any  interest  of  his  own ;  he 
took  arms  in  a  right  cause  at  the  moment  of  danger ; 
he  collected  a  band  of  his  countrymen ;  he  made  every 
one  astonished  at  his  deeds ;  and,  after  victory  aban- 
doned the  army,  refused  every  compensation,  and,  put- 
ting his  sword  into  the  sheath,  said,  ^  I  shall  draw  it 
next  for  Italy.' " 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

THE   MARTYKS. 

The  progress  of  "Young  Italy"  abroad  was,  indeed, 
useful  in  giving  a  powerful  impulse  and  a  constant 
direction  at  home ;  but  its  true  strength  was  to  be 
found  in  Italy  itself,  among  the  generous  people  who 
were  constantly  exposed  to  the  loss  of  property,  lib- 
erty and  life,  and  who  were,  besides,  irritated  by 
oppression,  and  by  the  sight  of  the  evils  produced  by 
despotism.  Those  people  were  not  merely  young 
enthusiasts,  as  some  would  style  us.  Many  of  them 
were  men  of  high  standing  in  society,  —  military  offi- 
cers, judges,  clergymen,  monks,  and  even  some  pre- 
lates of  the  papal  court.  Nay,  the  most  glorious 
martyrs  of  "  Young  Italy  "  came  out  from  the  ranks 
of  our  bitterest  enemies. 

The  devotion,  enthusiasm,  and  self-sacrificing  virtue 
of  the  members  of  "  Young  Italy  "  will  be  easily  ex- 
plained by  the  holiness  of  the  principles  adopted  by 
that  society,  in  opposition  to  the  impious  doctrines 
which  were  supported  by  brute  force  throughout 
Europe.  Ten  or  twelve  men,  congregated  in  Vienna 
during  the  year  1815,  divided  among  themselves  the 
people  of  Europe,  as  they  would  have  shared  a  flock 
of  sheep  or  cattle ;  and,  declaring  themselves  masters 
by  "  divine  right,"  bound  themselves  to  support  each 

(236) 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  237 

other  by  every  means  against  any  spirit  of  nationality 
and  of  liberty  among  the  people.  They  gave  a  des- 
potic dominion  to  the  pope,  that  he  might  be  their 
accomplice  and  supporter,  thus  making  the  Christian 
religion  an  instrument  of  tyranny. 

Consequently,  the  pope,  when  the  Poles  fought  for 
their  national  independence  against  their  Russian  op- 
pressors, condemned  their  undertaking  by  a  special 
bull,  because  the  czar  was  their  legitimate  master, 
given  to  them  by  God ;  nor  would  he  listen  to  them 
when  they  alleged  that  the  czar  himself  had  caused 
the  movement,  by  forcing  them  to  give  up  the  Catho- 
lic religion,  in  spite  of  his  solemn  promise,  because 
such  a  reason  might  be  retorted  on  him  by  his  own 
subjects,  on  whom  he  forced  his  religious  system  by 
means  of  Austrian  and  French  soldiers. 

At  this  very  moment  came  forth  "Young  Italy," 
placing  its  foundation  on  the  true  principles  of  the 
gospel,  and  boldly  proclaiming  that  God  alone  is  the 
Lord ;  that  no  man  is  privileged  by  him  to  exercise 
religious  or  political  power  over  his  fellows,  and  thus 
to  form  a  kind  of  medium  between  God  and  man.  It 
was  but  natural  that  "  Young  Italy"  should  meet  with 
the  most  atrocious  persecutions,  and  bear  them  with 
the  firmness  and  constancy  which  truth  alone  can  im- 
part. Jacopo  Ruffini,  of  Genoa,  the  most  intimate 
friend  of  Mazzini,  was  the  protomartyr  of  "  Young 
Italy : "  he  was  young,  talented,  generous,  and  worthy 
of  dying  for  such  a  cause.  Many  from  every  class 
were  afterwards  imprisoned  and  slaughtered,  here  and 
there,  throughout  Italy. 

But  the  noblest  example  of  true  greatness  of  mind 
and  self-sacrificing  virtue  was  presented  to  us  Italians, 
during  the  year  1844,  by  Attilio  Bandiera,  Emilio  his 


238  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

brother,  and  their  colleagues,  all  members  of  "  Young 
Italy."  The  importance  of  that  example  was  then 
felt,  immense  results  were  afterwards  derived  from 
it,  and  its  influence  is  still  permanent  in  Italy. 

Attilio  and  Emilio  Bandiera  were  the  sons  of  Baron 
Bandiera,  a  nobleman  from  Yenice,  and  a  great  admi- 
ral of  the  Austrian  navy.  He  educated  his  sons, 
and  trained  them  up  for  the  naval  service  of  Aus- 
tria. Their  birth,  their  uncommon  talents,  and  their 
wise  and  virtuous  conduct,  procured  for  them  rapid 
advancement,  and  promised  a  brilliant  career  for  the 
future  ;  while  their  personal  qualities  earned  for  them 
the  esteem  and  affection  of  all  their  companions,  with- 
out distinction  of  rank.  Attilio  married  a  young 
lady  of  great  beauty,  very  rich,  and  endowed  with 
the  best  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  They  had  two 
children,  and  no  happier  union  could  be  found.  Emilio 
was  the  youngest,  and  had  not  married ;  but  natural 
endowments,  and  the  constant  smile  of  fortune,  favored 
him  as  well  as  his  brother. 

Were  they  not  happy  ?     And  why  not  ? 

Because  they  were  Italians,  and  Italy  was  oppressed. 

Attilio  Bandiera  and  his  brother  knew  Mazzini  only 
by  name  before  the  year  1842,  and  could  not  succeed 
in  procuring  the  publications  issued  by  "  Young 
Italy ; "  but  their  talents,  good  sense,  and  love  of 
freedom,  had  brought  them  to  the  same  conclusions. 
It  was  the  conformity  of  their  principles  and  views 
which  led  them  to  seek  the  friendship  of  the  founder 
of  "  Young  Italy."  Attilio  was  thirty-two  years  old 
when  he  entered  that  society,  and  was,  besides,  a  man 
of  experience  as  a  seaman  and  a  traveller.  Emilio, 
though  younger  than  he,  had  no  lack  of  experience  or 
knowledge.    They  were  perfectly  aware  of  the  im- 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  239 

mense  sacrifice  which  they  were  to  make,  and  obeyed 
only  the  impulse  of  their  own  virtue.  It  is  false  and 
absurd  to  repeat,  with  some  calumniators,  that  they 
were  merely  young  men,  fanaticized  by  Mazzini.  From 
his  childhood  Attilio  Bandiera  had  felt  ashamed  of  the 
condition  of  his  native  country,  and  was  anxious  to 
attempt, something  to  deliver  her;  or,  at  least,  to  set 
before  his  fellow-countrymen  a  noble  example  by  shed- 
ding his  own  blood.  Years  and  political  events  con- 
firmed him  in  that  determination.  He  thought  that 
his  personal  endowments,  high  position,  and  lucky  for- 
tune, imposed  on  him  the  higher  duty  of  giving  a 
suitable  example  to  his  fellow-countrymen,  especially 
to  those  who,  being  forcibly  enrolled  among  the  Aus- 
trian troops,  were  made  to  believe  that  they  were 
bound  by  honor  and  conscience  to  serve  faithfully  the 
cruel  oppressors  of  their  native  land.  Besides  all 
this,  he  knew  that  there  was  a  stain  on  the  name  of 
his  father,  and  felt  anxious  to  conceal  it  by  rendering 
his  own  illustrious. 

In  fact,  during  the  year  1831,  the  Austrian  admiral. 
Baron  Bandiera,  in  spite  of  every  principle  of  justice, 
had  captured  on  the  high  sea  a  little  bark,  containing 
many  illustrious  patriots,  fugitives  from  the  Eoman 
State,  and  delivered  them  to  the  cruel  vengeance  of 
the  pope,  who  disregarded  even  a  capitulation  which 
they  had  signed  with  a  papal  legate  duly  authorized. 

Attilio  and  Emilio  Bandiera  longed  for  an  occasion ; 
and  the  general  agitation  prevailing  in  Italy  during 
the  year  1844  made  them  think  that  the  occasion  had 
come.  They  deserted  from  the  Austrian  navy,  and 
went  to  the  eastern  countries  to  arrange  the  means 
for  executing  their  revolutionary  plan.  Domenico 
Moro,  another  distinguished  officer  of  the  same  navy, 


240  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

followed  their  example,  and  joined  them.  There  was, 
besides,  a  general  agitation  in  the  navy,  which  was 
manned  almost  entirely  by  Italians,  and  even  in  the 
army,  in  which  forty  thousand  Italians  had  been  forci- 
bly enrolled. 

The  Austrian  government,  being  much  alarmed,  re- 
sorted to  its  usual  tricks  in  order  to  extinguish  in  the 
beginning  that  threatening  fire.  They  knew  that  Emilio 
and  Attilio  Bandiera  were  exceedingly  fond  of  their 
mother.  She  was  prevailed  on  to  try  to  allure  them 
''nto  the  Austrian  dominions  again,  by  a  promise  of 
an  absolute  oblivion  of  the  past.  She,  of  course,  was 
a  dupe ;  but  they  were  too  wise  and  firm  to  be  taken 
in  such  a  snare.  Another  trick  was  resorted  to,  with 
the  co-operation  of  the  English  government,  and  it 
proved  successful.  Unfortunately,  Attilio  Bandiera 
had  an  exalted  idea  of  the  English  character  ;  and,  as 
soon  as  he  reached  the  British  dominions  at  Corfu, 
wrote  plainly  to  Mazzini  in  London,  informing  him 
of  all  his  projects,  and  concluding  thus :  "  You  may 
answer  me  freely,  with  my  own  name  and  address, 
and  rely  upon  the  well-known  loyalty  and  fidelity  of 
the  English  post-office." 

He,  poor  fellow,  did  not  even  suspect  that  the 
renown  of  loyalty  and  fidelity  so  well  deserved  for 
the  past  was  now  abused  in  order  to  betray  the 
guests  who  confided  in  British  honor,  since  Sir  James 
Graham,  and  some  of  his  colleagues  in  the  English 
ministry,  were  in  the  employment  of  Austria,  and 
even  of  the  petty  tyrant  of  Naples,  in  the  capacity  - 
of  vile  spies.  I  would  not  believe  it  myself,  even 
now,  if  their  proceedings  had  not  been  unveiled  be- 
fore parliament,  and  avowed  by  themselves. 

Now,  the  Austrian  government  and  the  King  of 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  241 

Naples  having  been  regularly  supplied  with  copies  of 
all  the  letters  that  had  passed  between  the  two 
brothers  Bandiera  and  Mazzini,  an  agent  of  that  king 
went  to  Corfu,  and,  playing  the  ardent  patriot,  be- 
sought the  brothers  Bandiera  and  their  friends  to  fol- 
low him  into  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  where,  he  said, 
a  great  revolution  had  been  commenced,  and  needed 
only  some  able  chiefs.  They  believed  the  story,  inas- 
much as  the  event  was  artfully  reported  by  an  English 
newspaper.  A  Greek  also  went  to  them,  requesting 
the  honor  of  accompanying  them ;  for,  he  said,  his 
father,  an  Italian  from  Corsica,  had  formerly  covered 
his  name  with  infamy  in  Naples,  and  he  felt  anxious 
to  redeem  it,  —  he  was  another  traitor. 

By  these  means  Attilio  and  Emilio  Bandiera,  Do- 
menico  Moro,  and  their  friends,  were  taken  in  an 
ambush  prepared  by  the  King  of  Naples,  and,  after  a 
mock  trial,  were  cruelly  executed.  Nicola  Ricciotti, 
a  veteran  soldier  of  the  revolution,  was  with  them, 
and  was  taken  in  the  same  snare.  They  met  their 
fate  with  the  firmness  and  constancy  of  true  martyrs. 
The  groans  of  those  victims  were  echoed  with  a  cry 
of  indignation  throughout  Europe.  The  Hon.  Thomas 
S.  Buncombe  denounced  before  parliament  the  base 
conduct  of  Sir  James  Graham  and  his  colleagues,  for 
having  treacherously  abused  the  public  confidence 
and  hospitality,  by  furtively  opening  letters,  and  com- 
municating the  secrets  of  generous  and  confiding 
men,  so  as  to  cause  their  death. 

The  ministers  boldly  confessed  the  truth  of  the 
charge ;  pretending,  however,  that  some  ancient  law 
or  precedent  authorized  them  to  violate  the  secrecy 
of  the  post-oflSce.  The  parliament,  of  course,  ap- 
proved their  conduct :  not  so  the  English  people. 
21 


242  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

To  diminisli  the  importance  of  the  event,  the  Aus- 
trian newspapers  published  that  they  were  young 
men  wanting  in  experience,  and  infatuated  by  Maz- 
zini.  This  was  repeated  by  the  governmental  press 
of  England,  in  order  to  present  some  scapegoat.  Even 
an  Italian  has  accused  Mazzini  in  this  transaction, 
and  tried  to  diminish  the  merit  of  those  martyrs.  But 
what  nation  has  not  some  wicked  characters  ?  For- 
tunately, they  are  very  few  in  Italy,  and  belong  to 
that  class  of  profligate  and  debased  people  who  like 
the  idleness  of  a  gilded  slavery.  Sometimes,  when 
held  in  contempt  by  their  masters,  they  will  court  the 
popular  favor ;  but,  being  incapable  of  exhibiting 
courage  and  strength,  and  anxious  not  to  show  their 
cowardice,  they  constantly  oppose  any  deed  which 
would  be  a  reproof  to  them,  or  which  would  endanger 
their  voluptuous  peace. 

It  is  a  shame  to  hear  those  cowards  abuse  the  name 
of  martyrs,  which  they  are  not  worthy  even  to  utter, 
and  bring  accusations  against  those  who  work  con- 
stantly for  Italy.  Of  all  the  numerous  victims  of 
"  Young  Italy,"  no  one  was  heard  to  regret  his  fate, 
or  to  accuse  his  fellow-laborers.  Who,  then,  will 
tolerate  a  coward,  who  never  did  anything  for  Italy, 
and  who  stigmatizes  the  memory  of  those  noble  vic- 
tims in  order  to  afflict  their  surviving  friends  ? 

"  Why  did  not  Mazzini  die  together  with  the  broth- 
ers Bandiera?"  inquires  sarcastically  some  vile  writer; 
and  I  answer,  because  that  expedition  was  made  with- 
out his  participation,  —  nay,  against  his  advice.  I 
answer,  besides,  that  Mazzini  has  been  led  to  expose 
himself  more  than  a  wise  general  should  do,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  gossip  of  those  cowards  who  wished 
thus  to  compass  his  death.  But,  till  his  mission  is  fin- 
ished, he  will  not  die. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

THE  FUNERAL   RITES. 

The  news  of  the  martyrdom  of  the  brothers  Ban- 
diera  reached  Rome,  together  with  the  tidings  that 
their  bodies,  as  well  as  those  of  their  companions,  had 
been  thrown  among  the  carcasses  of  beasts,  —  an  hon- 
orable burial  having  been  denied  to  them  because  they 
had  refused  to  confess  to  some  Jesuits  who  had  been 
purposely  sent  by  the  King  of  Naples.  In  conse- 
quence of  this,  it  was  determined  by  the  chiefs  of 
"Young  Italy '^  in  Rome  to  have  a  secret  meeting 
in  honor  of  those  illustrious  martyrs ;  and  I  attended 
it,  with  my  friends  Fabio  and  Mattia.  The  place 
chosen  for  it  was  an  ancient  chapel  in  a  catacomb, 
two  miles  east  of  Rome.  We  arrived  there  from 
different  parts  and  by  different  accesses,  in  the  course 
of  an  hour  previous  to  the  time  fixed  for  the  meeting, 
which  was  midnight. 

The  chapel,  enlarged  and  arranged  by  the  primitive 
Christians,  had  been  abandoned,  but,  for  this  occasion, 
had  been  furnished  and  decorated  in  an  appropriate 
manner.  The  walls  were  covered  with  red  tapestry,  — 
an  emblem  of  martyrdom,  —  and  red  was  the  mourn- 
ful light  of  some  lamps  tastefully  disposed  around. 
Ten  large  laurel  wreaths  were  hanging  from  the  walls, 
enclosing   a  transparency,   each  with  a  name  and  a 

(243) 


244  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

shining  star.  The  number  of  persons  executed  was 
nine,  namely,  1.  Attiho  Bandiera  ;  2.  Nicola  Eicciotti ; 
3.  Emilio  Bandiera;  4.  Domenico  Moro;  5.  Anacarsi 
Nardi ;  6.  Giovanni  Venerucci ;  7.  Giacomo  Rocca ; 
8.  Francesco  Berti ;  9.  Domenico  Lnpatelli.  The  tenth 
wreath  bore  a  name  which  was  in  itself  a  history  of 
love,  suffering,  and  virtue :  it  was  a  lady's  name. 

In  the  centre  of  the  chapel  was  planted  a  large  Ital- 
ian national  banner,  —  red,  white,  and  green,  —  bearing 
the  motto,  "  Dio  e  Popolo "  (God  and  the  People). 
Here  and  there  had  been  placed  the  emblematic  sen- 
tence, "  Ora  e  sempre  "  (Now  and  forever),  with  appro- 
priate quotations  from  Dante  and  other  Italian  writers. 
A  small  table,  occupied  by  the  secretary,  exhibited  the 
portraits  of  some  of  the  martyrs,  and  several  notes 
from  them. 

The  president  opened  the  meeting.  "  We  are  here," 
he  said,  "  not  to  weep  for  the  dead.  Our  friends  have 
departed  for  a  better  and  an  everlasting  life.  It  is 
their  inheritance  that  we  are  called  to  receive,  —  a  rich 
inheritance  of  glory,  of  faith,  and  of  sublime  virtue, 
which  they  have  prepared  for  us  by  the  sacrifice  of 
everything  dear  on  earth.  Let  not  this  inheritance  be 
frustrated  by  our  acting  unworthily  of  it.  This  is  the 
proper  way  to  honor  and  love  them.  Their  cold  bones 
have  been  denied  the  solemn  peace  of  the  tomb  ,*  but 
their  souls  shine  with  glory,  their  names  are  immortal, 
and  we  shall  raise  a  monument  worthy  of  them  by  es- 
tablishing the  freedom  of  Italy." 

Then  our  friend  Marco,  the  Yenetian  painter,  who 
was  personally  acquainted  with  his  fellow-citizens, 
Attilio  and  Emilio  Bandiera,  and  Domenico  Moro,  and 
had  painted  the  portrait  of  the  former,  rose  and  said : 
"  Attilio  Bandiera  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  thirty- 


THE  EOMAN  EXILE.  245 

two  years  old.  Being  tall  and  rather  slender,  his  per- 
son did  not  convey  the  idea  of  corporeal  strength ;  but 
his  bald  head,  bushy  eyebrows,  fierce  look,  regular 
features,  and  dignified  countenance  were  so  striking 
that  I  would  have  wished  no  better  model  for  an  ideal 
priest  of  justice.  He  had  courteous  manners,  and 
there  was  a  fascinating  influence  in  his  enthusiastic 
speech.  Everything  in  him  betrayed  a  benevolent 
heart. 

"Emilio  Bandiera  was  only  twenty-six  years  old, 
and  quite  difierent  in  appearance  from  his  brother, 
being  ratKer  short  and  stout.  He  was  lively,  warm- 
hearted, and  playful ;  his  features  were  more  regular 
and  handsome  than  expressive ;  his  manners  were  kind 
and  prompt,  and  his  countenance  was  that  of  a  benev- 
olent but  independent  man,  though  he  had  a  kind  of 
veneration  for  his  brother,  and  adopted  his  thoughts 
and  views  almost  without  perceiving  it. 

"  Domenico  Moro,  younger  than  either  of  them,  but 
having,  like  them,  good  talents  and  excellent  qualities, 
and  entertaining  for  Attiho  an  unbounded  admiration 
and  afiection,  entered  fully  and  warmly  into  their 
views.  Knowing  that  they  were  most  probably  to 
meet  a  sad  fate,  Attilio  had  not  the  courage  to  take 
with  him  that  beautiful  young  man,  in  the  prime  of 
life,  and  lately  advanced  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  of  a 
frigate.  But,  as  soon  as  Domenico  Moro  heard  that 
his  friends  had  fled,  no  consideration  could  prevent  his 
following  them  and  sharing  their  fate. 

"  When  we  think,"  added  Marco,  "  of  these  three 
young  men,  endowed  with  all  the  qualities  which  are 
required  to  redeem  a  nation,  and  when  we  see  them 
taken  from  us  in  such  a  miserable  manner,  I  feel  humil- 
iated and  confused,  but  not  discouraged.  If  our  suf- 
21* 


246  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

ferings  have  not  yet  expiated  the  faults  of  our  fathers, 
let  us  at  least  bequeathe  to  our  sons  the  example  of  an 
unshaken  perseverance." 

At  this  the  secretary  informed  the  meeting  that  a 
fellow-laborer,  just  arrived  from  Malta,  had  brought 
copies  of  some  letters  from  Attilio  and  Emilio  Ban- 
diera  to  Mazzini,  and  begged  leave  to  read  a  few  pas- 
sages illustrating  their  character. 

"  ^  It  is  now  several  years,'  wrote  Attilio  in  1842, 
^  since  I  began  to  esteem  and  love  you  (Mazzini),  for 
I  knew  that  you  were  to  be  considered  as  the  chief 
of  those  generous  souls  who  at  the  present  time  rep- 
resent the  opposition  to  tyranny,  and  its  wicked  con- 
sequences, which  are  dreadfully  contaminating  our 
beloved  Italy.  I  am  an  Italian  and  a  warrior.  I  be- 
lieve in  God  and  a  future  life.  Justice  is  for  me  the 
foundation  of  all  rights.  What  we  shall  do  for  Italy 
will  be  useful  to  the  cause  of  humankind.  Considering 
the  condition  of  our  country,  I  was  easily  convinced 
that  the  better  way  for  the  regeneration  of  Italy  was 
by  entering  on  the  dark  work  of  secret  conspiracies. 
Are  there  other  means  than  secrecy  in  order  to  begin 
the  struggle  for  the  liberation  of  the  oppressed? 
Before  commencing  to  act  openly  we  want  to  be  ac- 
quainted with  each  other,  and  to  come  to  an  under- 
standing for  the  union  of  our  forces.  Do  not  refuse 
my  co-operation.' 

" '  My  brotiier  and  I,'  wrote  Emilio  afterwards, '  were 
convinced  that  every  Italian  is  bound  to  devote  him- 
self entirely  to  the  improvement  of  our  unhappy 
country ;  and  so  we  tried  all  the  means  in  our  power 
to  join  that  "  Young  Italy  "  which  was  formed  to  or- 
ganize a  national  insurrection.  For  three  years,  how- 
ever, our  efforts  were  in  vain.     But,  without  knowing 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  247 

your  principles,  we  had  the  same  thoughts,  aiming,  as 
well  as  you,  at  a  free,  united,  and  republican  govern- 
ment for  our  native  country ;  relying  at  the  same  time 
upon  our  national  means,  contemning  all  foreign  sup- 
port, and  thinking  of  beginning  to  act  as  soon  as  we 
felt  ourselves  strong  enough/ 

"  ^  I  am  seeking  for  the  manner,^  again  wrote  AttiHo 
in  1843,  ^  of  penetrating  into  Italy,  and  of  making  up 
a  band  of  patriots  to  fight  until  death.  The  material 
importance  of  this  deed  will  be  small,  but  its  moral 
influence  great,  for  suspicion  will  enter  the  heart  of 
our  powerful  oppressor,  and  an  eloquent  example  will 
be  set  before  those  who,  like  me,  are  bound  by  absurd 
and  inadmissible  oaths.' 

" '  My  mother,'  wrote  Emilio  after  his  flight,  April 
22d,  1844,  "  excited  and  blinded  by  passion,  does  not 
listen  to  my  reasons.  She  calls  me  an  impious,  heart- 
less assassin.  Her  tears  wound  my  heart;  her  re- 
proofs, though  undeserved,  are  like  the  thrusts  of  a 
dagger.  But  desolation  does  not  take  from  me  wis- 
dom. I  know  that  her  anger  and  her  tears  are  caused 
by  the  tyrants  ;  and,  therefore,  if  I  was  formerly  ani- 
mated only  by  love  of  my  native  country,  I  now  feel 
an  equal  hatred  against  the  despotic  usurpers  who, 
by  their  infamous  ambition,  cause  such  horrors  to  our 
families.' 

"  And,  soon  after,  in  the  act  of  leaving  for  Italy,  in 
a  letter  of  his  brother,  he  added  the  following  words : 
'  These  will  perhaps  be  the  last  lines  you  will  receive 
from  us.  Heaven  bless  you  for  all  the  great  good 
you  have  achieved  for  our  native  country.  At  the 
very  eve  of  encountering  the  dangers  of  revolution, 
I  confidently  proclaim  that  every  Italian  owes  you 
gratitude  and  veneration.     Farewell!  farewell  1     We 


248  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

are  poor  in  everything ;  and  we  choose  you  to  be  the 
executor  of  our  will,  that  we  might  not  perish  in  the 
memory  of  our  countrymen.'" 

"'How/  wrote  Attilio, '  will  my  mother  and  my  wife, 
—  those  delicate  creatures,  unable  perhaps  to  resist  a 
great  grief,  —  endure  my  ruin  ?  Alas  !  to  serve  hu- 
manity and  my  native  country  was  the  first  of  my 
wishes,  and  will,  I  hope,  be  so  forever ;  but  I  must 
confess  that  it  costs  me  dear.  Farewell !  and,  if  it 
shall  be  forever,  farewell  forever.'  " 

At  this,  Marco  rose  again,  and  with  a  trembling 
voice  said:  "On  entering  this  place,  it  was  with  great 
satisfaction  I  observed'  that,  among  the  nine  glorious 
martyrs  executed  at  Cosenza,  a  tenth  wreath  was  con- 
secrated to  the  heroic  wife  of  Attilio  Bandiera ;  and 
I  feel  assured  that  from  heaven  he  smiles  with  grat- 
itude upon  the  tribute  paid  to  her  virtue.  They  loved 
each  other  with  that  passion  which  elevates  the  soul 
to  the  nature  of  angels,  and  purifies  the  heart  from 
selfishness.  Educated  by  him,  she  could  not  have 
feelings  different  from  his.  She  knew  that  he  was 
going  to  die,  and  opposed  not  that  sacrifice  in  which 
she  was  the  principal  victim ;  nay,  she  promised  to 
live  for  the  sake  of  their  offspring,  their  beloved 
sons ;  but  her  physical  strength,  which  had  been  sup- 
ported by  her  moral  energy,  failed  as  soon  as  she 
heard  of  the  capture  of  Attilio,  and  she  died  broken- 
hearted. 

"  Such  are  the  women  of  Italy,"  continued  Marco 
with  deep  feeling ;  "  and  they  would  all  be  so  if  they 
could  meet  with  worthy  partners.  Nature  has  given 
the  Italian  woman  a  marked  susceptibility  for  strong 
emotions.  She  loves  with  all  her  heart  and  mind,  and 
love  is  her  life :  she  reasons  but  little,  because  she 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  249 

feels  so  mucli.  Let  her  meet  a  man  who  knows  his 
mission  towards  her,  and  she  will  be  the  angel  of  his 
life:  let  him  elevate  himself,  and  she  will  follow  him 
in  every  great  and  virtuous  enterprise.  A  brute,  on 
the  contrary,  will  spoil  her ;  and,  once  spoiled,  she 
will  plunge  into  vice  with  the  same  ardor  with  which 
she  would  have  followed  virtue.  Indeed,  considering 
the  bad  education  which  we  give  our  women,  and  the 
wicked  examples  which  are  set  before  them  by  six 
immoral  royal  courts  and  by  the  still  more  demoral- 
izing papal  court,  we  only  wonder  that  so  few  of  them 
are  corrupted,  and  acknowledge  4;he  strong  natural 
love  of  virtue  by  which  they  are  supported.'^ 

Fabio  now  addressed  the  meeting,  and  begged  leave 
to  make  some  remarks  in  honor  of  Nicola  Ricciotti, 
who,  like  himself,  was  a  native  of  Frusinone,  a  city 
sixty  miles  east  of  Rome.  It  is  the  residence  of  the 
papal  delegate,  that  is,  the  governor  of  the  province ; 
but  long  papal  dominion  has  reduced  it  to  such  a  state 
of  desolation  that  there  is  not  a  school  for  even  the 
first  rudiments  of  reading  and  writing.  Notwith- 
standing all  this,  a  few  men  of  genius  and  of  lofty 
character  have  now  and  then  sprung  forth  from  that 
wretched  place,  and,  as  it  were,  presented  a  strong 
protest  in  favor  of  that  indomitable  Italian  nature 
which  a  thousand  years  of  religious  and  political 
oppression  have  not  been  able  to  subdue. 

"  He  was  my  school-fellow  in  Rome,"  said  Fabio, 
"  and  I  was  eighteen  years  old  when  he  was  sent  into 
exile  during  the  year  1818.  He  was  in  love  with  a 
cousin  of  mine,  who  eloped  with  him,  and  has  ever 
since  been  the  angel  of  his  hard  hfe.  She  often  used 
her  skill  in  music  to  earn  their  bread,  and  to  soothe 
his  wounded  mind.     He  fought  all  the  battles  of  lib- 


250  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

erty  during  the  years  1820  and  1821,  and  was  for  ten 
years  in  a  papal  dungeon.  Liberated  by  the  revolu- 
tionists during  the  year  1831,  he  fought  again  with 
them.  In  1833,  Ricciotti  appeared  within  the  Alps, 
and  afterwards  went  to  Spain,  where  he  fought  for  the 
revolutionists,  and  earned  glory  and  advancement  in 
the  army,  till  he  was,  a  few  months  ago,  promoted  to 
the  grade  of  commander  of  infantry.  But,  having 
heard  of  the  probability  of  some  movements  in  Italy, 
he  gave  up  his  brilliant  position,  and  went  to  meet  the 
sad  fate  which  awaited  him. 

^^  A  note  which  he  addressed  to  his  sons  will  prove 
that  Ricciotti  was  not  under  the  influence  of  any  illu- 
sion ;  for  he  was  perfectly  aware  that  in  all  probabil- 
ity he  would  lose  his  life,  and  he  generously  put  it  at 
stake.  '  My  dear  sons,^  said  he.  ^  I  am  arrived  at  the 
most  decisive  moment  in  my  Ufe.  A  thousand  dan- 
gers, and  perhaps  death  itself,  are  waiting  for  me  in 
the  new  path  which  I  am  about  to  take.  My  love  for 
you,  and  my  duty  as  a  father  and  a  citizen,  do  not 
permit  me  to  execute  my  plan  without  remembering 
you,  and  laying  down  a  few  precepts  which  I  hope 
you  wiU  carry  into  execution.  If  a  cruel  fate  is  pre- 
pared for  me,  and  I  am  to  be  taken  from  your  love, 
cherish  my  memory,  be  not  disheartened  by  my  fate, 
and  preserve  this  writing  as  a  pledge  of  my  tender- 
ness for  you.  So  cruel  is  the  condition  of  Italy,  so 
low  sunk  is  that  land,  formerly  the  most  glorious,  that 
among  its  sons  any  one  who  desires  honor,  who  feels 
in  his  heart  the  insults  of  despots  against  our  national 
dignity,  and  who  loves  liberty  and  virtue,  is  con- 
demned to  the  sorrowful  life  of  an  exile,  even  if  he 
should  escape  prison  and  death.  We  shall  be  martyrs 
for  the  Italian  cause ;  but  our  sufferings  will  hasten 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  251 

the  epoch  of  triumph  and  of  freedom  for  our  native 
country.  My  dear  sons,  walk  in  my  footsteps,  and 
let  me  enjoy  at  least  the  consolation  of  knowing  that 
you  are  imitators  of  my  example,  and  that  Italy  can 
rely  upon  you  as  well  as  upon  me.'" 

After  this,  the  secretary  presented  to  the  meeting 
the  original  letter  which  Anacarsi  Nardi,  a  lawyer, 
fifty  years  old,  wrote  to  his  intimate  friend,  Tito  Sa- 
velli,  five  minutes  before  being  led  to  execution.  He 
wrote  it  in  haste,  with  his  hands  tied ;  and  the  jailer 
took  care  of  it.  "  I  write  for  the  last  time,"  said  he : 
"  in  a  few  minutes  I  shall  die.  Remember  me  often 
to  thy  family  and  to  our  common  friends.  If  it  is 
possible,  I  will  visit  thy  home  before  going  to  our 
Eternal  Father.  Kiss  Dante  and  all  thy  sons.  Re- 
ceive the  salutations  of  my  companions.  I  embrace 
thee,  and  I  am  thy  Nardi.  —  P.  S.  It  is  because  I  am 
tied  that  the  penmanship  is  trembling.  But  I  tremble 
not.  I  am  tranquil ;  for  I  die  in  my  native  country 
and  for  a  holy  cause.     Again  farewell !  " 

The  president  added  some  remarks  on  the  other 
martyrs,  and  on  their  companions  buried  alive  in  the 
dungeons  of  the  NeapoHtan  tyrant ;  and  he  concluded 
the  meeting  by  these  words:  "The  glorious  names 
and  acts  of  our  new  martyrs  have  been  written  in  our 
martyrology,  and  our  friends  throughout  Italy  shall 
have  a  copy  of  it.  Alas  I  the  Italian  martyrology  is  a 
very  large  book.  From  the  time  of  the  Reformation 
till  the  present,  no  nation  has  given  so  many  martyrs 
as  Italy  for  the  cause  of  religious  and  political  liberty; 
but  no  nation  is  more  cruelly  crushed  by  despotism 
than  Italy  is.  Shall  we  therefore  conclude  that  the 
blood  of  our  martyrs  flows  in  vain,  and  that  all  our 


252  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

attempts  in  favor  of  a  cause  which  has  nothing  but 
justice  on  its  side  are  entirely  foolish? 

"  God  forbid  our  lips  to  repeat  such  blasphemy, 
which  the  atheistic  statesmen  of  France,  England,  and 
Austria  are  constantly  uttering  against  us,  while  they 
laugh  at  our  unsuccessful  efforts.  The  blood  of  the 
martyrs  cries  out  to  God  from  the  earth.  God  has  not 
made  millions  of  men  that  a  few  shall  have  the  cruel 
pleasure  of  tormenting  them  and  trampling  upon  their 
innocent  blood.  But  it  is  only  through  numerous  suf- 
ferings, obstinate  efforts,  and  noble  sacrifices,  that  an 
oppressed  nation  can  be  regenerated  to  power,  free- 
dom, and  glory." 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

A  DARK   CLOUD. 

The  day  after  that  nocturnal  meeting  I  was  sitting 
in  my  office,  apparently  inspecting  some  papers  and 
deeds,  but  really  unable  to  pay  any  serious  attention 
to  the  business.  My  mind  was  distracted  by  many 
different  thoughts,  and  I  felt  such  uneasiness  and 
weariness  as  I  had  never  before  experienced.  I  told 
my  boy  to  put  on  the  door  the  ticket,  "  Not  in,"  and 
then  to  go  to  the  post-office.  For  several  days  I  had 
expected  a  note  from  Bologna,  and  the  unusual  delay 
caused  me  great  anxiety.  The  epoch  fixed  for  my 
union  with  Enrichetta  was  now  at  hand.  I  had  been 
in  Bologna  during  the  vacations  of  the  two  preceding 
years,  and  a  regular  correspondence  had  been  kept  up 
between  us.  Our  mutual  attachment  was  not  in  the 
least  abated  by  long  time  and  absence,  but  rather 
acquired  therefrom  a  more  elevated  character.  From 
that  sentiment  I  constantly  drew  new  vigor  and  cour- 
age amid  the  trials  of  my  civil  and  political  life. 

Now,  at  last,  I  had  obtained  an  independent  posi- 
tion in  society,  and  my  prospects  were  bright,  so  far 
as  my  profession  was  concerned.  My  income,  for  the 
present,  did  not  exceed  six  hundred  doUars ;  but  fifty 
dollars  monthly  was  a  sum  more  than  enough  to  estab- 
lish a  pleasant  home,  and  to  live  comfortably  according 
22  (263) 


254  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

to  my  condition  in  Rome.  During  the  summer  I  had 
prepared  a  modest,  but  neat  and  desirable  residence, 
and  furnisl:^pd  it,  agreeably  to  Enrichetta's  wish,  in  a 
plain  but  tasteful  manner ;  and,  this  being  the  last 
month  before  the  vacation,  I  was  very  busy  in  making 
all  arrangements  and  transacting  all  business,  that  I 
might  not  be  disturbed  when  going  to  Bologna,  and 
might  find  everything  in  good  order  when  I  returned 
with  Enrichetta. 

"  There  is  a  note  from  Bologna,"  said  my  boy,  with 
a  triumphant  air ;  but,  on  glancing  at  it,  I  was  struck 
by  recognizing  the  penmanship  of  the  father  instead 
of  the  well-known  handwriting  of  the  daughter. 

"  Enrichetta,"  said  the  note,  "  met  with  an  alarming 
accident,  in  consequence  of  an  upset  of  the  carriage 
in  which  she  was  driving  with  her  grandmother.  For 
some  days  her  life  has  been  in  danger,  but  a  happy 
crisis  has  occurred,  and  she  is  fast  getting  better." 

The  poor  boy,  who  had  expected  that  the  note 
would  dispel  my  bad  spirits,  was  now  frightened  by 
the  change  of  my  look,  and  thought  of  going  for  a 
physician.  My  first  impulse  was  to  leave  immediately 
for  Bologna  ;  but  to  obtain  a  passport  and  to  find  the 
means  of  conveyance  could  not  be  done  as  quickly  as 
I  wished. 

Next  morning,  being  still  in  Rome,  I  received  an- 
other note  from  Bologna.  It  was  in  the  chirography 
of  Enrichetta,  though  much  altered  by  the  trembling 
of  the  h^nd.  "  It  is  a  painful  but  a  sacred  duty  for 
me  to  undeceive  you.  The  physician  says  that  the 
accident  that  has  happened  to  me  will  have  no  serious 
consequences,  and  that  in  a  short  time  I  shall  be  en- 
tirely recovered,  except  from  a  little  lameness.  It 
may  be  so ;  but  I  feel  that  my  life  is  drooping.     I  had 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  255 

formerly  some  warnings  that  my  days  would  be  short 
on  the  earth,  and  that  I  must  not  look  for  happiness 
in  this  world.  Love  made  me  forget  it ;  but  a  new 
warning  has  come  to  put  me  in  mind  that  my  dear  sister 
waits  for  me.  She  died  at  nineteen,  and  I  have  almost 
attained  that  age.  I  regret  nothing  upon  earth  but 
the  grief  of  those  who  love  me.  Some  days  ago,  in  a 
moment  which  |;hey  thought  to  be  the  last  of  my  life, 
my  good  grandmother  was  helping  me  to  offer  up  a 
prayer  to  God.  I  repeated  with  her,  '  My  God,  I  rely 
upon  thee ;  I  am  ready  to  answer  thy  call  to  go  to 
thee ;  I  do  not  regret  to  leave  the  earth ; '  but  I  felt 
it  impossible  to  repeat  the  following  sentence,  which 
implied  a  renouncement  of  you.  I  hope  that  God 
does  not  require  from  me  that  sacrifice :  cannot  I  go 
to  him  with  that  sentiment  without  blushing  ?  '^ 
, .  I  made  no  answer  to  this  letter,  as  I  had  obtained 
my  passport,  and  there  was  a  French  steamboat  going 
that  night  from  Civitavecchia  to  Leghorn,  which  would 
enable  me  to  reach  Florence  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, and  to  cross  the  Apennines  and  to  be  in  Bo- 
logna some  hours  before  my  note  could  be  brought 
there  by  the  mail.  The  diligenza  habitually  running 
between  Florence  and  Bologna  would  pass  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  small  villa  where  I  went  to  give 
my  first  serenade,  and  where  afterwards  I  had  spent 
so  many  pleasant  hours.  I  could  not  think  of  that 
place  without  deep  emotion,  which  grew  stronger  as 
I  began  to  discover  it  from  a  little  distance.  I  saw 
the  house,  and  then  the  garden,  and  finally  I  came  in 
sight  of  the  green  turf  between  the  house  and  the 
public  road.  Here  my  eyes  met  with  a  scene  whose 
first  impression  on  my  excited  mind  was  that  of  a 
vision.     A  carpet  was  stretched  upon  the  turf,  and 


256  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

upon  it  was  a  young  lady,  surrounded  with  a  dog,  a 
cat,  a  lamb,  and  numerous  birds,  all  playing  around 
her.  She  was  clad  in  a  white  loose  dress,  and  her 
rich  black  hair  fell  negligently  upon  her  shoulders. 
She  turned  her  head,  and  gave  a  careless,  melancholy 
glance  at  the  carriage  as  it  passed  before  her.  It 
was  Enrichetta.  Our  eyes  met,  and,  recognizing  me, 
she  uttered  a  sharp  cry,  and  fainted.  The  driver  of 
the  diligenza  perceived  it,  and  immediately  stopped 
the  carriage.  I  slipped  from  it  into  the  villa  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  ;  the  waiting-maid  and  the  grand- 
mother of  Enrichetta  came  immediately  to  her  aid ; 
and  she  soon  recovered  her  senses. 

My  presence,  of  course,  was  the  best  remedy  for 
that  ardently  loving  creature.  She  began  to  forget 
again  her  sad  presentiment  of  approaching  death,  and 
by  degrees  to  indulge  with  me  in  the  rosy  hopes  of 
an  approaching  happy  union.  Then  her  thinness  and 
paleness  gradually  disappeared,  and  she  was  more 
lovely  and  interesting  than  ever.  But  th^  idea  of  her 
lameness  was  to  her  a  great  torment,  as  the  physician 
had  expressed  but  little  hope  of  her  perfect  recovery 
from  it.  A  friend  of  mine,  however,  suggested  to  me 
to  take  her  to  a  well-known  hot  spring,  a  bathing- 
place  called  Porretta,  thirty  miles  north  of  Bologna, 
in  the  Apennines.  Enrichetta  went  there,  attended 
by  her  grandmother,  and  I  was  with  them.  Porretta 
was  a  poor  place,  but  the  establishment  for  bathing 
and  the  hotel  for  visitors  were  in  a  magnificent  style. 

I  observed  there  a  new  kind  of  evasion  of  the 
papal  law  forbidding  the  introduction  of  gas-works  for 
illumination.  Next  to  the  building  was  a  little  lake 
emitting  a  combustible  gas,  which,  by  a  simple  appa- 
ratus, was  conveyed  to  illuminate  the  buildings.     The 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  257 

trick,  however,  was  afterwards  discovered;  and,  as 
the  owners  of  that  establishment  maintained  that  there 
was  no  violation  of  the  law,  the  matter  was  referred 
to  the  pope,  who  pronounced  his  "  infallible  "  judg- 
ment by  saying  that  the  illumination  with  gas  suppHed 
by  nature  was  an  invention  as  wicked  as  that  in  which 
gas-works  are  employed. 

The  effect  of  the  hot-spring  bathing  on  the  health 
of  Enrichetta  was  even  beyond  our  hopes.  After  a 
month's  residence  she  was  able  to  walk  freely,  and 
returned  to  Bologna  perfectly  cured.  My  joy  was 
boundless ;  but,  in  spite  of  her  evident  efforts  to  be 
cheerful,  she  was  often  overwhelmed  by  melancholy. 
She  had  now  a  slight  cough,  for  which  I  accounted  by 
attributing  it  to  the  chilly  air  of  the  Apennines.  She 
was  also  still  thin  and  pale,  even  more  so  than  before 
her  sickness,  and  frequently  complained  of  being  cold, 
though  the  weather  was  exceedingly  fine  and  mild. 
My  great-uncle,  who  was  a  very  learned  physician, 
and  loved  us  both,  said  that  our  marriage  must  be 
postponed,  and  insisted  upon  it,  with  her  parents.  I 
yielded  with  reluctance,  because  I  felt  that  the  mild 
climate  of  Rome,  and  my  affectionate  attentions,  were 
the  best  means  of  saving  her  life,  if  she  was  really 
consumptive. 

The  day  before  I  left  Bologna,  Enrichetta  desired 
me  to  accompany  her  on  a  visit  to  the  tomb  of  her 
sister.  I  had  been  there  several  times  before  with 
her,  and  the  place  had  a  particular  charm  for  us,  on 
account  of  our  first  meeting  in  that  place ;  and,  be- 
sides, we  experienced  there  a  mysterious  communion 
of  elevated  thoughts,  and  she  never  looked  so  happy 
as  in  those  moments.  She  always  approached  the 
tomb  with  a  sweet  smile  on  her  lips,  as  if  to  meet  that 
22^ 


258  THE    ROMAN    EXILE. 

of  her  sister ;  and  then  she  never  spoke  a  word  of 
grief.  Now  we  were  sitting  as  usual  on  a  wooden 
bench  near  the  monument  of  her  sister,  and  I  was 
telling  her  that  our  new  separation  would  be  short, 
for  I  was  determined  to  return  very  soon  to  Bologna, 
and  take  her  to  Rome  in  spite  of  all  opposition. 

"  God  alone,"  answered  she,  "  knows  what  will  hap- 
pen to  us,  and  what  is  for  the  best :  let  us  rely  upon 
him.  When  my  dear  sister  departed,  I  was  exceed- 
ingly grieved,  and  often  went  to  repeat  upon  her  tomb 
my  foolish  prayer  to  God,  that  she  might  be  restored 
to  me ;  but  one  morning  I  met  here  a  lady  who  had 
lost  her  only  child,  and  she  said,  '•  Your  sister  and  my 
child  are  happy  in  heaven,  and  we  must  not  pray  that 
they  may  be  unhappy  again  on  the  earth.  They  can- 
not come  to  us,  but  we  must  go  to  them  in  peace.' 
Those  were  blessed  words,  and  even  now  I  feel  their 
healing  effect  on  my  heart." 

Here  Enrichetta  made  a  little  pause,  fixed  her  eyes 
upon  my  face,  and,  with  a  sweet,  plaintive  voice,  said, 
"Do  promise  me  that  thou  wilt  not  yield  to  grief  if 
I  am  called  to  my  sister.  I  feel  that  my  weak  body 
cannot  long  endure  the  trials  of  life.  I  shall  be  happy, 
and  I  will  pray  for  thee." 

I  could  not  say  a  word,  for  I  felt  a  dreadful  oppres- 
sion upon  my  heart. 

She  was  frightened  by  the  change  of  my  look,  and, 
taking  hold  of  my  hand,  passionately  exclaimed,  "  0, 
do  not  look  so  sad !  I  will  not  die :  I  will  collect  all 
my  strength,  and  live  for  thee  —  for  thee  alone  I  " 

Next  morning  I  started  for  Rome,  where  I  must 
again  open  my  office.  I  departed  with  a  stormy 
heart;  and  a  dark  cloud,  impending  on  my  head, 
sfiemed  to  accompany  ifie  to  Rome,  and  to  threaten 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  259 

mysterious  evils.  In  fact,  as  soon  as  I  reached  the 
gate  of  Rome,  and  showed  my  passport,  I  was  arrested 
and  taken  to  the  poKce-office.  I  knew,  of  course,  that 
it  was  three  years  since  I  had  been  placed  under  the 
surveillance  of  the  police,  and  was  therefore  exceed- 
ingly cautious  in  my  conduct,  so  far  as  politics  were 
concerned ;  and,  besides,  I  kept  myself  constantly 
ready  to  meet  any  interrogatory  with  all  the  skill  of.  a 
lawyer.  The  assessor  of  police  was  rather  disap- 
pointed when,  after  an  examination  which  lasted  three 
hours,  he  was  obliged  to  declare  that,  notwithstanding 
the  numerous  charges  brought  against  me  by  the 
spies,  there  was  no  ground  to  keep  me  in  prison.  But 
Monsignore,  the  governor  of  Rome,  who  is  the  chief 
of  police,  condemned  me  to  be  subjected  to  a  "  po- 
litical precept,"  which  was  considered  a  preventive 
measure  to  be  applied  to  wicked  characters.  This 
measure  was  at  that  time  freely  resorted  to  by  the 
papal  police;  and  when  Pope  Gregory  XVI.  died, 
two  years  after,  there  were  more  than  three  thousand 
young  men  in  Rome  all  subjected  to  that  "  political 
precept,"  which  constituted  the  most  impious  violation 
of  personal  liberty  and  human  dignity  ever  committed 
by  a  tyrant. 

The  assessor  handed  me  a  printed  copy  of  the  pre- 
cept, and  read  and  explained  it  to  me,  mentioning, 
above  all,  that  the  least  transgression  of  that  precept 
would,  for  the  first  time,  involve  a  punishment  of  three 
years  of  hard  work,  and  afterwards  of  a  progressive 
rigor. 

The  first  injunction  of  the  precept  was,  "  Never  go 
out  from  the  city,  and  keep  at  home  from  sunset  to 
sunrise."  The  peculiar  grievousness  of  this  order 
arises,  in  a  great  measure,  from  our  habits,  and  from 


260  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

the  nature  of  our  southern  climate.  We  generally 
devote  the  whole  of  the  day  to  our  business  and  occu- 
pation, take  our  meals  at  sunset,  and  then  make  calls, 
or  go  to  the  promenade,  to  coffee-houses,  or  to  social 
gatherings.  To  be  confined  alone  at  home  during  the 
long  nights  of  winter,  while  every  one  else  goes  out, 
and  to  be  unable  to  enjoy  the  refreshment  of  the 
evening  during  the  hot  days  of  the  summer,  was  for 
me  almost  as  grievous  as  to  be  in  a  prison.  This, 
however,  was  not  the  whole :  the  police-officers  came 
every  night  twice,  and  sometimes  three  times,  to  see 
if  I  was  at  home,  and  often  on  those  occasions  exam- 
ined the  whole  of  the  house,  comprising  the  bedroom 
of  my  young  sister,  who,  of  course,  was  exceedingly 
annoyed  by  such  nocturnal  visits.  But  a  friend  of 
mine,  who  was  also  subjected  to  the  political  precept, 
apprised  me  that,  by  means  of  a  monthly  bribe,  given 
to  the  chief  of  those  troublesome  visitors,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  sparing  his  wife  their  disgusting  nocturnal 
apparitions.  Now  they  merely  knocked  at  the  street 
door,  and  he  made  his  appearance  at  the  window, 
holding  a  lamp  before  his  face.  I  made  the  same 
compromise. 

The  second  injunction  was,  "  Call  every  fortnight  at 
the  police-office,  in  order  to  give  a  minute  account  of 
your  manner  of  living,  and  to  exhibit  a  certificate, 
signed  by  a  regular  confessor,  of  your  having  at- 
tended his  tribunal  of  penance." 

This  was  the  most  vexatious  imposition.  They  did 
not,  of  course,  believe  that  we  should  be  so  foolish  as 
to  reveal  anything  to  their  confessors  or  to  their 
directors  of  police ;  but  it  was  a  sweet  victory  for 
them  to  have  us  so  often  humiliated  before  a  villanous 
director  of  police,  who  abused  us  in  a  base  manner, 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  261 

and  to  see  us  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  some  dirty  priest 
or  friar.  I  succeeded,  however,  in  avoiding,  in  an  easy 
way,  this  trouble.  A  young  priest,  who  was  to  be 
made  a  prelate,  needed  somebody  to  prepare  him  in 
haste,  but  carefully,  in  order  that  he  might  undergo 
an  examination  in  canon  laws.  He  applied  to  me,  and 
promised  liberal  wages ;  and  I  told  him  that  I  should 
be  satisfied  with  some  certificates  of  having  confessed 
to  him.  He  was  exceedingly  happy  to  have  my  valu- 
able instruction  at  such  a  cheap  price  as  false  cer- 
tificates, and  gave  me  two  hundred  of  them.  So  that 
each  time  I  must  go  to  the  police  I  had  ho  other 
trouble  than  to  aflSx  the  date. 

The  other  injunctions  were  more  tolerable. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

THE   LAST   FAREWELL. 

During  the  month  of  November,  1844,  all  the  let- 
ters I  received  from  Enrichetta  spoke  of  her  gettmg 
better,  and  showed  her  to  be  m  good  spirits  ;  but 
with  the  month  of  December  an  alarming  change  took 
place,  and  my  uncle  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  taken 
her  under  his  care  as  affected  by  consumption,  and 
there  was  but  little  hope  of  recovery,  because  her 
mother  and  her  sister  died  of  that  disease.  It  was 
impossible  for  me  to  leave  Rome,  as  I  should  have 
been  imprisoned,  and  thereby  caused  her  to  die  by 
sorrow.  I  therefore  besought  my  uncle  to  bring  her 
to  me.  She  would  be  with  my  sister,  and  I  would  be 
like  an  affectionate  brother  to  her,  and  perhaps  she 
could  be  saved.  Alas,  it  was  too  late  I  She  was  not 
able  to  undertake  the  journey. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  December,  I  received 
another  letter  from  my  uncle,  containing  a  paper 
in  an  unknown  handwriting.  "Enrichetta,"  wrote 
he,  "  has  been  better  for  some  days ;  but  it  was  a 
deceitful  calm.  Yesterday,  before  dawn,  a  dreadful 
cough  caused  the  rupture  of  a  blood-vessel  in  her 
breast.  At  twelve  o'clock  I  succeeded  in  stopping  the 
blood,  and  in  relieving  her ;  but  at  that  moment,  in 
the  neighboring  ^prato  di  S.  Antonio,'  took  place  the 

(262) 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  263 

execution  of  two  young  men,  belonging  to  '  Young 
Italy.'  She  heard  the  report  of  the  shots,  and,  know- 
ing what  it  was,  fainted  away.  I  restored  her  to  her 
senses,  but  her  life  will  last  only  a  few  hours.  I 
enclose  here  the  last  adieu  which  she  dictated  for 
you.  Remember  her  wishes,  and  do  not  yield  to 
grief" 

"  I  wished  with  all  my  heart,"  said  she,  "  to  live  for 
thee  and  with  thee.  I  knew  the  trials  of  thy  life, 
and  foresaw  the  troubles  which  wait  for  thee;  I 
desired  to  be  at  thy  side  to  comfort  thee,  or  at  least 
to  suffer  with  thee.  It  was  in  vain:  nothing  could 
stop  my  failing  life.  Yesterday,  lying  down  on  my 
deathbed,  I  was  thinking  of  thee,  when  I  heard  the 
report  of  shots  fired  at  two  generous  breasts.  I  felt 
the  bullets  piercing  my  heart  and  taking  my  life,  and 
thy  image  was  before  me, —  thou  wert  bleeding  and 
slain,  and  I  could  not  help  thee.  Now  I  feel  perfectly 
quiet,  and  in  this  solemn  moment  of  calm,  preceding 
death,  wish  to  tell  thee  my  last  adieu.  Our  earthly 
love  cannot  live  in  the  grave,  but  my  soul  will  love 
thee  as  angels  love.  During  all  thy  life,  and  whatever 
may  be  thy  trials,  never  forget  that  I  am  watching 
over  thee ;  keep  thyself  steadily  from  anything  unjust, 
anything  base,  anything  that  should  make  me  blush 
for  thee.  This  is  the  manner  by  which  thou  may  est 
show  thy  love  for  me.  I  say  no  more.  Peace  and 
salvation  be  with  thee !  " 

I  need  not  mention  the  effect  of  these  letters.  Al- 
most out  of  my  senses,  I  went  to  the  police-office, 
and,  showing  the  letters,  asked  for  permission  to  go  to 
Bologna  immediately.  The  official  scornfully  laughed 
at  me,  and  ridiculed  my  grief  I  do  not  know  what  I 
did :  I  remember  only  that  I  was  pulled  into  the  street, 


264  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

with  bruises  on  my  face  and  hands ;  but  my  youngest 
brother  happened  to  pass,  and  took  me  home.  He 
was  then  in  Rome  on  a  visit  to  me,  and  was  to  leave 
next  morning  for  Siena,  where  he  had  some  business. 
Now  he  left  me  to  the  care  of  our  young  sister,  who 
endeavored  as  well  as  she  could  to  soothe  my  mind. 

In  a  short  time  my  brother  came  in  again,  and, 
tendering  me  some  papers,  said,  "  Here  is  a  ticket  for 
passage  to  Civitavecchia  by  the  diligenza,  and  then  to 
Leghorn  by  a  steamer ;  and  here  is  my  passport,  too. 
I  have  taken  the  signature,  ^  Buono  per  Bologna.' 
The  description  of  my  person  corresponds  to  your 
own.  Go  to  Bologna,  if  you  choose.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  will  lie  down  in  your  bed,  pretending  to  be 
sick ;  and  you  may  rely  upon  it  that  the  officers  of 
police  visiting  the  bed  will  not  discover  the  trick." 

Excited  as  I  was,  I  thought  but  little  of  the  danger 
to  which  I  exposed  my  affectionate  brother.  I  took 
the  passport ;  and,  two  hours  after,  I  was  travelling  to 
Civitavecchia.  I  found  there  the  steamer  which  had 
been  announced,  and  it  brought  me  to  Leghorn  in 
twelve  hours.  I  speedily  proceeded  to  Florence,  but 
I  was  much  disappointed  in  not  finding  a  conveyance 
to  Bologna,  the  diligenza  being  over-filled,  and,  on 
account  of  the  weather,  the  crossing  of  the  mountain 
being  a  very  difficult  and  dangerous  undertaking. 

Notwithstanding  the  positive  assertion  of  my  great- 
uncle,  I  cherished  a  firm  hope  that  Enrichetta  would 
not  die  so  soon.  To  see  her  once  more,  to  speak  to 
her  some  words  of  comfort,  and  to  receive  her  last 
breath,  had  such  an  attraction  for  me  that  I  left  my 
business,  and  exposed  myself  and  my  brother  to 
heavy  punishment;  so  that  no  obstacle  could  arrest 
my  march,  now  that  I  was  only  sixty  miles  from  Bo- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  265 

logna.  I  started  on  foot.  It  was  sunset,  when,  leav- 
ing Florence,  I  crossed  the  gate  of  Sangallo ;  and  the 
first  object  which  arrested  my  attention  on  the  road 
was  the  cemetery  of  Florence.  At  this  sight  I  could 
not  help  shuddering.  The  night  soon  grew  dark,  and 
I  saw  nothing  more,  having  great  difficulty  to  find  out 
the  road. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  crossed  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain,  where  sometimes  the  wind  from 
the  north  blows  so  strong  as  to  carry  away  even 
loaded  carriages ;  but  a  wall  forty  feet  thick  has  been 
erected  to  protect  passengers.  The  wind,  though  not 
then  very  strong,  quite  subdued  my  already  exhausted 
strength.  I  went  to  the  hotel  where  the  diligenza 
usually  stops  a  few  moments,  and  took  some  of  the 
refreshments  prepared  for  passengers.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  diligenza  arrived,  when  the  conductor  in- 
formed me  that,  one  of  the  passengers  having  been 
arrested  at  the  gate  of  Florence,  there  was  a  vacant 
seat,  which  I  took  with  eagerness. 

At  four  o'clock,  p.  m.,  we  were  in  Bologna.  It  was 
chilly  and  rainy  weather.  With  heavy  and  irregular 
steps  I  moved  towards  the  well-known  house,  and  saw 
that  the  blinds  were  shut  up,  as  well  as  the  door. 
Trembling  from  head  to  foot,  I  went  to  knock,  but 
felt  unable  to  raise  the  hammer.  In  the  mean  time,  I 
saw  the  coachman  coming  home  with  the  empty  car- 
riage. He  came  to  me  in  tears.  He  was  an  old  ser- 
vant of  the  family,  and  was  as  much  attached  to 
Enrichetta  as  to  his  own  children.  He  said  nothing 
but  I  understood  the  whole.  The  good  old  man 
gently  forced  me  into  the  carriage,  to  take  me  from 
that  desolate  house.  He  was  going  to  my  uncle's ;  but 
23 


266  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

I  told  him,  in  a  resolute  manner,  "Take  me  to  the 
Campo  Santo." 

Near  the  well-known  monument,  in  the  same  place 
where  first  I  saw  Enrichetta  praying  on  her  knees, 
there  was  now  a  new  fresh  heap  of  earth.  I  knelt 
upon  it,  and  lay  immovable  and  overwhelmed  by  grief. 
The  old  coachman  was  weeping  apart,  but,  seeing  the 
alteration  of  my  countenance,  rushed  to  me,  and,  shak- 
ing me  by  my  arm,  said,  "  Will  you  become  a  madman  ? 
Enrichetta  is  not  here  ;  she  is  in  heaven,  and  doubtless 
prays  for  you,  for  her  last  words  were,  ^  My  God  !  re- 
ceive my  soul,  and  save  my  dear  love.' " 

At  this,  a  young  girl  of  fourteen  timidly  advanced 
towards  us.  She  was  a  favorite  servant  of  Enrichetta, 
and  brought  a  small  vase  with  a  young  rose-plant, 
which  Enrichetta  had  kept  in  her  room  during  her 
last  sickness.  The  affectionate  girl  handed  it  to  me, 
and  wept  in  silence.  I  planted  the  rose  upon  the 
grave,  and  burst  into  tears. 

I  saw  nobody  else  in  Bologna,  —  not  even  my  uncle. 
I  went  back  to  Rome  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  the 
police  discovered  nothing. 

That  rose,  planted  in  winter  and  watered  with  tears, 
grew  up  with  luxuriant  vegetation.  Almost  four 
years  after,  coming  back  from  the  plains  of  Venice 
after  the  battle  of  Yicenza,  I  hung  upon  that  rose  a 
medal  which  I  had  earned  on  the  field  of  battle.  One 
of  the  Austrian  officers  who  occupied  Bologna  after- 
wards took  away  that  medal  and  cut  down  the  rose 
with  his  sword.  A  heart  so  wicked  could  never  have 
known  what  love  is.  I  consider  him  sufficiently  pun- 
ished. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

THE  PRISONER. 

The  words  of  Attilio  Bandiera,  "  We  shall  be  more 
useful  to  Italy  in  dying  than  in  living,"  proved  to  be 
a  veritable  prophecy.  Italy,  as  if  redeemed  by  the 
blood  of  her  martyrs,  showed  new  life,  not  only  by  the 
increase  of  political  agitation,  but  still  more  by  a  great 
amelioration  of  the  people  at  large,  for  whom  example 
is  better  than  words.  All  virtuous  and  talented  young 
men  sought  for  admission  into  "Young  Italy,"  and 
were  anxious  to  be  brought  into  action.  The  Aus- 
trian government,  the  pope,  the  tyrant  of  Naples,  and 
the  Jesuit  King  of  Piedmont,  exhausted  all  the  means 
of  a  bloody  and  wicked  persecution,  and  the  effect 
was  the  opposite  of  their  intention.  The  Duke  of 
Tuscany  alone  had  not  the  courage  to  shed  blood,  and 
so  the  revolutionary  party  exhibited  there  a  certain 
lack  of  energy,  and  gave  rise  to  a  set  of  men  who 
called  themselves  the  "  moderate  party." 

They  were  not  really  a  political  party,  because  no 
portion  of  the  people  was  with  them.  A  French 
diplomatist  styled  them  "  generals  without  soldiers  ;  " 
and  they  did  not  want  soldiers,  having  no  intention  to 
fight.  Such  a  band  of  cowards  existed  even  in  Amer- 
ica at  the  time  of  the  revolution.  They  styled  them- 
selves  lovers  of  freedom,  but  preached  submission; 

(267) 


268  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

and,  not  having  the  courage  to  fight,  they  opposed 
those  who,  by  heroic  deeds,  made  them  blush  for  their 
selfishness,  and  destroyed  their  ill-acquired  influence, 
popularity,  and  authority.  To  conquer  their  Protean 
opposition  was  perhaps  more  difficult  for  Washington 
than  to  defeat  the  English  army.  In  like  manner  the 
same  party  in  Italy  were  the  greatest  annoyance  to 
"  Young  Italy,"  and  the  best  allies  of  our  oppressors. 

The  opposition  of  these  people  was  a  withering  ele- 
ment, inasmuch  as  the  greater  part  of  them,  though 
spoiled  by  cowardice,  were  honest  and  learned ;  and 
their  name  and  credit  were  abused  by  some  wicked 
men,  who,  excluded  from  "  Young  Italy,"  clung  to 
them  like  parasitical  plants,  and  spared  no  means  to 
frustrate  the  generous  work  of  the  patriotic  youth. 
Some  of  those  wicked  men  went  so  far  in  their  wrong 
path  as  treacherously  to  denounce  to  the  government 
the  revolutionary  projects  of  their  former  associates. 

After  the  death  of  the  brothers  Bandiera,  the  "  mod- 
erate party"  were  busy  in  denouncing  that  movement, 
and  preaching  submission ;  nay,  Cesare  Balbo,  the  most 
illustrious  among  them,  then  published  a  book,  the 
title  of  which  was,  "  The  Hopes  of  Italy,"  condemning 
all  attempts  of  the  Italians  to  free  themselves,  because 
in  a  short  time  they  would  be  rid  of  Austria  without 
any  efi"ort.  "  The  Turkish  empire,"  he  said,  "  must 
fall ;  and  Austria,  in  her  desire  to  secure  a  part  of  it, 
would  abandon  Italy." 

To  take  for  granted  the  division  of  the  Turkish 
empire  full  ten  years  before  France  and  England  went 
to  the  help  of  the  Turks,  appeared  to  be  a  visionary 
idea.  And  no  man  of  good  sense  could  believe  that 
Austria  would  willingly  give  up  her  fat  Italian  pos- 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  269 

sessions,  in  order  to  acquire  a  wretched  piece  of  the 
ruined  Turkish  empire. 

Absurdity,  of  course,  is  not  a  fault  with  philoso- 
phers, as  long  as  they  wander  in  the  field  of  specula- 
tion; but  Balbo  pretended  to  be  practically  right; 
nay,  as  a  substitute  for  the  present  order  of  things,  he 
seriously  recommended  the  scheme  of  his  friend  the 
Abbot  Gioberti.  This  philosopher,  in  good  faith,  I 
think,  in  a  large  volume  of  new  words,  presented  to 
the  modern  Italians  the  poor  ancient  idea  of  a  confed- 
eration of  all  the  Italian  petty  tyrants  under  the 
supremacy  of  the  pope  ;  and  he  became  so  excited 
and  delighted  with  this  supposed  new  plan,  that  he 
forgot  all  the  lessons  which  the  experience  of  ages 
and  the  genius  of  the  great  Italians  had  set  before  us, 
to  show  that  papacy  alone  is  the  cause  of  all  the  evils 
of  Italy.  Besides,  Gioberti  took  it  for  granted  that 
papacy,  at  present  quite  worn  out  and  in  a  dying  con- 
dition, would  be  able  to  carry  on  a  scheme  which 
could  not  be  realized  during  its  vigor  in  the  middle 
ages. 

Men  of  the  ^^  moderate  party,"  however,  hdd  several 
advantages  over  the  leaders  of  "  Young  Italy,"  the 
former  being  permitted  to  proclaim  their  harmless 
absurdities,  to  speak  loudly  of  their  wise  patriotism, 
and  to  slander  their  opponents,  who  were  forced  to  be 
silent  for  their  own  security,  as  well  as  for  the  inter- 
est of  their  cause.  Besides,  the  former  met,  of  course, 
with  the  sympathy  of  the  European  diplomatists,  and 
had  with  them  all  the  corrupt  or  ill-informed  press 
of  Europe.  This  party,  I  repeat,  was  the  greatest 
annoyance  with  which  "  Young  Italy "  had  to  cope. 
When  the  prisons  were  filled  with  our  friends,  and 
the  scafi'old  was  red  with  their  blood,  we  had  to  hear 
23* 


270  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

them,  their  friends,  and  the  foreign  press  denouncing 
us  as  the  worst  enemies  of  Italy,  ruining  the  national 
cause  by  our  rash  and  foolish  attempts,  &c.;  and  these 
criminations  came  from  those  cowards  and  selfish  men 
who,  besides  keeping  constantly  on  the  safe  side,  were 
not  disposed  to  sacrifice  for  Italy  a  soire  at  the  bal- 
masque  or  the  opera,  or  to  practise  any  self-denial. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1845,  when  a  general  revolu- 
tion was  at  hand,  the  men  of  the  '^  moderate  party  '^ 
had  the  unhappy  idea  of  making  a  "  peaceful  remon- 
strance "  against  the  pope,  then  the  most  wicked  of 
the  Italian  tyrants.  They  intended  to  begin  with  him 
their  work  of  regeneration.  A  "  manifesto  "  was  writ- 
ten and  printed  in  Florence  (neutral  ground),  and 
was  sent  to  Rimini,  in  the  Roman  State,  where  one 
Renzi  was  commissioned  to  publish  it.  They  asked 
for  some  political  reforms,  even  more  moderate  than 
those  which  France,  Austria,  England,  and  Prussia  had 
requested  the  same  pope  to  make  during  the  year 
1832.  The  pope,  who  had  then  baffled  the  "memo- 
randum "  of  the  European  diplomacy,  answered  the 
"  manifesto  '^  by  sending  an  army  of  five  thousand 
Swiss  soldiers  to  punish  its  authors. 

They,  of  course,  could  not  be  found ;  but  the  gener- 
ous youth  belonging  to  "  Young  Italy  "  yielded  to  the 
temptation,  and  made  a  rush  to  arms,  and  some  young 
men  of  the  neighboring  cities  followed  their  example. 
But  it  was  a  partial  movement,  without  any  concerted 
plan  or  direction ;  so  that,  after  some  bloody  skir- 
mishes, it  was  put  down,  and  classed  with  those 
movements  which  despair  often  produces  among  an 
oppressed  people,  much  like  the  cry  which  torture 
brings  forth  even  from  the  bravest  man.  The  princi- 
pal authors  of  thii^  lovolution  showed  their  cour,age 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  271 

and  skill  by  effecting  a  dangerous  retreat  into  Tus- 
cany, where  they  laid  down  their  arms,  and  embarked 
for  foreign  countries. 

My  dear  brother  Henry,  who  was  a  resident  of 
Rimini,  took  a  slight  part  in  that  movement,  and  only 
to  comply  with  the  desires  of  his  friends,  for  he  was 
a  well-disciplined  soldier  of  ^'  Young  Italy,"  and  did 
not  wish  to  stir  without  receiving  regular  orders. 
He  therefore  did  not  think  it  unsafe  for  him  to  re- 
main quietly  at  home,  attending  to  his  business,  when 
the  storm  had  gone  by.  The  pope  sent  immediately 
a  military  commission  to  punish  the  "  rebels ; "  and,  as 
the  chiefs  had  gone,  they  laid  their  hands  upon  those 
less  implicated,  in  order  to  have  some  victims.  By 
a  military  commission  is  meant  a  band  of  five  igno- 
rant and  wicked  soldiers  of  the  pope,  who  are  ap- 
pointed, not  to  judge,  but  to  condemn,  a  number  of 
political  culprits  to  the  punishment  beforehand  deter- 
mined by  the  police.  Those  commissions  are  resorted 
to  because  the  ordinary  tribunals,  though  appointed 
by  the  pope,  often  decline  to  obey  the  injunctions 
and  act  the  odious  part  of  executioners. 

My  brother  was  arrested  by  order  of  the  military 
commission,  and  treated  with  the  most  refined  cruelty. 
He  was  then  twenty  years  of  age,  and  of  a  delicate 
constitution.  They  entered  his  place  of  business  with 
a  great  display  of  military  force,  and  bound  his  hands 
with  an  iron  handcuff,  pressing  the  screw  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  tear  the  skin  and  the  flesh  from  the 
bones,  and  to  make  his  hands  swell  badly.  He  had 
gone  but  a  few  steps  with  his  captors  when  he  fainted 
on  the  road.  They  placed  him  upon  a  cart,  and  brought 
him,  insensible,  to  the  prison.  The  marks  of  that  treat- 
ment are  still  apparent  on  his  wrists.     The  apartment 


272  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

of  the  prison  was  two  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  paved  with*  stone,  and  six  feet  square,  and 
three  men  were  imprisoned  in  it.  A  small  hole,  made 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  thick  wall,  gave  them  a  little 
air  and  light  in  the  daytime ;  but  during  the  night  the 
hole  was  closed,  and  their  sufferings  were  beyond 
description.  One  of  them  fell  sick  a  few  days  after, 
and  the  jailer  informed  the  military  commission,  who 
said  it  was  a  pretext  in  order  to  gain  admission  to  the 
hospital,  where  the  treatment  was  better.  Three  days 
after  this  the  jailer  had  to  take  from  that  den  the 
corpse  of  the  unhappy  young  man.  He  left  a  wife 
and  a  child;  but  she  died  from  sorrow  soon  after. 

The  jailer,  struck  by  this  calamity,  informed  my 
parents  of  the  condition  of  my  brother,  suggesting  to 
them  the  expediency  of  applying  to  Cardinal  Gizzi, 
the  "  legato  "  of  the  province,  who  had  the  credit  of 
being  as  liberal  a  man  as  a  cardinal  can  be.  He  was 
then  in  Rome  for  a  few  days,  and  my  father  wrote  to 
me,  enclosing  a  touching  supplication  to  the  cardinal 
that  he  would  ameliorate  the  dreadful  condition  of 
the  poor  prisoner.  I  went  to  the  Convent  of  S.  Mar- 
cello,  where  Cardinal  Gizzi  was  lodged,  and  I  was 
readily  admitted,  because  I  announced  myself  as  a  law- 
yer of  the  Roman  court;  which  implies  a  doctor  of 
canon  law,  —  generally  entitled  to  some  regard.  But, 
as  soon  as  I  presented  to  him  the  petition,  and  ex 
plained  the  subject  of  my  errand,  the  short-bodied, 
choleric  cardinal,  like  a  trodden  viper,  rose  quickly 
from  his  arm-chair,  and,  pointing  to  the  door,  said  to 
me,  "  Depart !  and  thank  God  that  you  are  not  in  the 
same  position  with  your  brother;  as  you,  perhaps, 
deserve  it  more  than  he  !  " 

"  But  he  has  not  yet  been  condemned,"  I  dared 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  273 

to  observe.  "  Perhaps  he  is  innocent ;  and  in  the 
mean  time  " 

"  Depart ! ''  interrupted  the  cardinal,  angrily ;  "  you 
are  all  well  known  to  be  enemies  both  of  the  altar  and 
of  the  throne.^' 

In  going  out  I  met  in  the  street  with  a  carriage,  in 
which  I  saw  my  friend  Mattia,  chained,  and  attended 
by  three  papal  "  sbirri."  Three  more  of  my  friends 
were  imprisoned  during  the  same  day ;  and  the  mail 
brought  the  news  from  Bologna,  that,  even  there, 
some  of  the  chiefs  of  "  Young  Italy  "  had  been  ar- 
rested. They  were  soon  after  brought  to  Eome  by 
corrispondenza ;  for  a  discovery  made  in  Rome  by 
the  police  caused  these  new  imprisonments.  In  fact, 
the  police  knew  only  that  Josephs,  a  distinguished 
lawyer  of  Bologna,  sent  to  Mattia  a  sum  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  was  said  to  be  the  payment  of 
some  professional  services  (for  Mattia  was  himself  a 
lawyer) ;  but  circumstances  connected  with  that  trans- 
mission of  money  led  the  police  to  suspect  that  there 
was  a  political  plot  connected  with  it. 

A  young  man  belonging  to  the  office  of  Mattia,  and 
even  to  "  Young  Italy,'^  was  arrested  and  tortured 
in  order  to  try  to  discover  something.  He  firmly 
resisted  the  torments,  but  was  afterwards  led  into  a 
snare.  His  mother,  artfully  deceived  by  the  police, 
was  introduced  into  his  prison,  as  if  for  a  special 
favor ;  and  she  informed  him  that,  the  day  before,  as 
she  was  in  the  antechamber  of  the  Governor  of  Rome, 
waiting  for  an  audience,  she  heard,  by  chance,  that 
a  prisoner  then  speaking  to  the  governor  freely  de- 
nounced her  son  and  other  prisoners,  and  promised  to 
reveal  the  whole  of  the  plot  if  they  would  save  him ; 
and  that,  having  sought  for  the  name  of  that  prisoner 


274:  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

when  he  crossed  the  antechamber,  she  found  out  that 
it  was  Mattia. 

This  statement  was  all  true,  except  that,  instead  of 
Mattia,  the  pretended  prisoner  was  a  disguised  officer 
of  police ;  and  the  lady,  not  living  in  Rome,  knew 
Mattia  scarcely  by  name.  But  her  son,  too  young 
and  inexperienced,  believed  that  Mattia  had  really  be- 
trayed him,  and  burst  into  a  fit  of  anger.  He  was,  of 
course,  immediately  taken  before  the  judge,  who 
kindly  received  him,  and,  pretending  to  speak  in  a 
low  voice  to  his  secretary,  said,  "  I  cannot  help  sym- 
pathizing with  this  youth,  so  cowardly  betrayed  by 
his  chiefs."  It  was  the  last  pull  which  urged  that 
young  man  into  an  abyss  of  baseness  and  infamy. 

Both  Josephs  and  Mattia  were  condemned  to  capi- 
tal punishment ;  though,  even  after  the  obtained  reve- 
lation, it  was  known  only  that  there  was  a  special 
political  object  for  sending  that  money,  but  that  ob- 
ject was  unknown  to  the  denunciator.  The  punish- 
ment, however,  was  changed  "  by  a  grace "  of  the 
pope,  and  the  prisoners  were  both  chained,  and  sent 
to  the  state-prison  for  life.  The  ensuing  political 
events  produced  their  liberation,  as  well  as  that  of  my 
brother. 


CHAPTER   XXXY. 

THE  TRIAL. 

"  Defence  is  a  natural  right,"  say  our  laws, "  and  no 
one  can  be  condemned  without  being  previously  heard 
and  defended."  This  is,  of  course,  good  for  ordinary 
cases ;  but  when  a  person  is  accused  of  opinions  or 
acts  against  the  pope  or  a  king,  should  he  not  be 
deprived  of  defence  ?  "  Yes,  certainly,"  thought  Car- 
dinal Massimi,  the  papal  "  legato  "  for  the  province  of 
Ravenna.  He  did  not  like  at  all  the  opinion  of  Bec- 
caria,  and  of  all  modern  philosophers,  that  accusation 
does  not  constitute  crime,  and  that  the  guarantees 
introduced  to  protect  innocence  should  be  increased, 
instead  of  diminished,  in  proportion  to  the  enormity 
of  the  accusation.  Besides,  he  thought  a  defence 
useless  and  absurd  when  the  sentence  was  to  be  pro- 
nounced by  a  commission  appointed  to  condemn,  and 
not  to  absolve. 

But  his  neighbor,  the  "  legato  "  of  Forli,  Cardinal 
Gizzi,  was  of  a  different  opinion.  "  Why,"  said  he, 
<'  take  upon  ourselves  the  odium  of  denying  a  harm- 
less formality  ?  Let  them  have  the  defence,  and  the 
commission  will,  notwithstanding,  condemn  them."  A 
controversy,  therefore,  arose  between  the  two  cardi- 
nals, concerning  the  proceedings  of  the  military  com- 
mission in  the  provinces  governed  by  them.     Cardi- 

(276) 


276  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

nal  Gizzi  appeared  to  be  the  more  humane,  but  was 
only  the  more  cunning.  At  length  they  came  to  a 
compromise,  that  the  defence  should  be  granted ;  but 
the  defender  should  be  appointed  by  the  commission, 
—  not,  however,  from  among  its  members,  but  from 
among  the  lawyers  admitted  before  the  ordinary 
court. 

Now  the  trial  began.  The  military  commission 
pretended  to  know  from  the  prisoners  a  great  deal 
more  than  they  knew  themselves,  and  resorted  to  all 
kinds  of  deceit  and  torture  ;  which,  however,  had  no 
other  result  than  to  excite  a  great  deal  of  public  indig- 
nation even  abroad.  Massimo  D'Azeglio,  a  scholar, 
as  well  as  an  artist  and  a  much  esteemed  citizen,  wrote 
a  small  book  denouncing  those  iniquities.  This  publi- 
cation made  a  great  sensation  even  in  France  and 
England,  on  account  of  the  well-known  independent 
character  of  the  author.  A  foreign  ambassador 
thought  it  proper  to  put  a  copy  of  it  into  the  hands 
of  the  pope  himself;  and  the  consequence  was,  an 
order  to  arrest  the  author  should  he  enter  the  papal 
State,  and  a  more  bitter  treatment  of  the  poor  pris- 
oners. 

By  constant  exertions  and  large  expense,  my  father 
succeeded  in  opening  a  secret  correspondence  with 
my  imprisoned  brother,  and  by  degrees  was  able 
somewhat  to  help  him.  In  this  way  my  father  re- 
ceived one  day  from  Henry  a  lock  of  hair  enveloped 
in  a  sheet  of  dirty  paper ;  and,  suspecting  it  to  be  a 
note,  he  exposed  the  sheet  to  a  fire,  when  some  lines 
of  a  reddish  color  appeared,  written  with  the  juice 
of  an  onion.  "  I  am  suffering  very  much  from  the 
dampness  and  from  the  almost  suffocating  air  of  the 
prison ;  but  even  greater  is  the  torment  from  hunger. 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  277 

They  pretend  to  make  me  say  something  that  I  do  not 
know,  and  something  I  cannot  say,  so  that  they  cause 
me  to  fast  every  second  day.  They  have  also  beaten 
me  twice  with  sticks,  in  order  to  humble  my  pride,  as 
they  affirm.  Notwithstanding  all  these  things,  I  keep 
up  good  spirits.  Try,  above  all,  to  send  me  a  large 
piece  of  bread,  and  put  into  it,  before  baking,  a  pencil 
and  a  little  bundle  of  paper.  ^^ 

Some  days  after,  another  paper  was  received  by  my 
father :  it  was  a  note  to  me.  "  Yesterday,"  wrote  my 
poor  brother,  "  I  was  taken  to  the  room  of  the  com- 
mission, where  I  found  only  Captain  Freddi,  who 
treated  me  with  kindness,  and  reminded  me  that  we 
had  once  dined  together  some  years  ago.  He  then 
asked  me  if  my  oldest  brother,  namely  you,  belonged 
to  ^  Young  Italy.^  —  'I  know  nothing  about  that  so- 
ciety,' was  my  reply.  — '  I  praise  and  fully  appreciate 
your  honesty  and  consistency,'  said  the  captain ;  ^  but 
your  brother  is  not  worthy  that  you  should  sacrifice 
yourself  for  him,  because,  having  been  arrested,  he  has 
confessed  everything  in  order  to  be  released.'  This, 
of  course,  was  a  too  common  artifice,  having  been 
resorted  to  on  many  former  occasions ;  but  the  cap- 
tain read  to  me  some  of  the  leading  points  of  your 
pretended  confession,  and  showed  me  your  signature 
annexed  to  the  paper.  I  could  not  have  the  least 
doubt  about  the  signature  ;  it  was  really  your  well- 
known  handwriting;  but  still  I  knew  you  too  well, 
and  could  not  believe  it.  As  he  was  placing  the  leaf 
upon  the  table  next  to  the  window,  I  had  by  accident 
a  glance  at  it  in  a  transparent  position,  and  dis- 
covered that  the  part  containing  your  signature  was 
joined  to  the  leaf  with  glue  in  a  very  skilful  manner. 
Of  course,  I  made  no  remark  about  it,  but  answered 
24 


278  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

the  captain  that  your  statements  must  have  been 
made  under  coercion,  because  they  were  untrue." 

Captain  Freddi,  of  whom  my  brother  wrote,  was 
the  same  man  who  had  been  employed  by  Monsignor 
Antonelli  in  Viterbo,  during  the  year  1838,  to  ruin 
many  incaufious  youths.  He  had  been  a  profligate 
and  a  gambler  from  his  youth,  and  these  vices  made 
him  one  of  the  worst  instruments  of  the  papal  police ; 
and,  from  crime  to  crime,  he  plunged  afterwards  into 
all  excesses.  But  even  worse  than  he  was  Attilio 
Fontana,  the  president  of  the  military  commission. 
Unable  to  extort  any  confession  from  the  prisoners  by 
means  of  the  cruel  tortures  practised  upon  them  by 
his  executioners,  he  determined  to  go  himself  into 
their  prisons,  and  try  to  obtain  it  by  deceit.  Loaded 
with  chains,  that  wicked  man  caused  himself  to  be 
shut  up  in  a  prison,  filled  with  some  of  his  intended 
victims ;  and  there,  pretending  to  have  been  impris- 
oned for  the  same  cause,  affecting  great  zeal  for  it, 
and  announcing  a  new  movement  to  be  made  for  their 
delivery,  he  tried  to  get  into  their  confidence. 

Disappointed  by  want  of  success  in  this  imposition, 
he  tried  it  in  vain  successively  from  prison  to  prison. 
Attilio  Fontana,  however,  did  not  give  up  the  matter ; 
for,  one  evening,  he  put  on  a  capuchin's  coarse  dress, 
and,  with  the  cowl  on  his  head,  sat  in  the  confessional 
of  the  prisons,  and  ordered  some  of  the  prisoners  to 
be  brought  by  force  to  confession,  as  they  were  in  the 
habit  of  doing  every  fortnight.  He  acted  with  mar- 
vellous skill  the  part  of  a  "  man  of  the  gospel,"  —  of 
one  deeply  affected  by  their  sad  condition,  and  anxious 
to  help  them,  at  least  by  bringing  tidings  of  them  to 
their  parents  and  friends.  But  a  confessor  sent  by 
the   military  commission   could  not  be  considered  a 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  279 

reliable  man  by  the  prisoners.  Besides,  though  Ital- 
ians are  by  nature  open-hearted  and  confiding,  a 
bloody  experience  of  many  years  has  made  them  ex- 
ceedingly distrustful,  and  constantly  on  their  guard. 

Attilio  Fontana  gave  orders  that  the  prisoners 
should  be  often  disturbed  Avhen  sleeping ;  and,  after 
some  days  of  this  treatment,  he  would  enter  the  prison 
of  some  of  them  when  in  a  deep  sleep,  and  wake  them 
by  a  great  noise  of  chains  and  a  dazzling  light.  While 
his  followers  were  pointing  daggers  and  pistols  at  the 
breasts  of  the  terrified  prisoners,  Fontana  questioned 
them,  and  endeavored  to  take  them  by  surprise.  Be- 
sides, he  sometimes  sent  a  wretched  man,  calling  him- 
self a  mesmeric  physician,  who,  by  putting  some  of 
the  prisoners  into  an  artificial  sleep,  tried  to  discover 
their  secret  thoughts. 

"  You  will  scarcely  believe,"  my  brother  wrote  to 
me  again,  "  that,  after  having  disturbed  my  sleep  for 
a  long  time,  they  make  me  sleep  now  by  means  of 
mesmerism.  My  body  has  become  so  weak,  and  my 
nerves  are  so  irritable,  that,  notwithstanding  all  my 
efibrts,  I  have  twice  yielded  to  the  action  of  a  mes- 
merist. I  do  not  know  what  questions  were  put  to 
me,  or  what  answers  I  gave ;  but,  from  a  new  inter- 
rogatory they  made  yesterday,  I  was  convinced  that 
they  obtained  nothing  important." 

The  trial  was  brought  to  a  close  by  a  new  accident, 
which  supplied  the  military  commission  with  all  the 
information  they  desired,  and  they  ceased  tormenting 
the  prisoners,  but  passed  upon  them  the  sentences  of 
condemnation  already  prepared.  No  one,  however, 
was  put  to  death,  because  none  of  them  had  been  a 
principal  in  the  movement.     The  new  event  was  this  : 

Renzi,  the  man  appointed  by  the  "  moderate  party  " 


280  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

to  publish  their  "  manifesto  "  and  carry  out  their  views, 
having  afterwards  betaken  himself  to  Marseilles,  in 
France,  as  a  refugee,  was  there  prevailed  upon  by  the 
papal  consul  to  return,  and  become  a  traitor,  in  consid- 
eration of  immunity  and  of  a  sum  of  money  offered  to 
him.  Consequently  he  went  to  Florence,  and,  for 
appearance's  sake,  was  arrested  and  delivered  to  the 
papal  government. 

The  men  of  the  "  moderate  party "  were  not,  of 
course,  accomplices  in  that  treacherous  act ;  nay,  they 
opposed,  with  all  their  strength  and  influence,  the 
delivery  of  Renzi  to  the  papal  government ;  and  they 
are  not  to  be  accused  in  this  respect.  But  they  knew 
that  Renzi  was  an  immoral  and  profligate  man,  who 
disregarded  his  duty  towards  his  wife  and  children  : 
why,  then,  did  they  avail  themselves  of  the  services 
of  such  a  person?  They  ought  to  have  known  that  a 
soul  which  is  enslaved  by  brutal  passions  cannot  ele- 
vate itself  to  the  virtue  of  self-sacrifice,  and  that  no 
wicked  man  can  be  a  good  citizen. 

The  military  commission  then  proceeded  to  Ra- 
venna, where  the  zeal  of  the  commissaries  was  revived 
and  excited  by  the  bloodthirsty  Cardinal  Massimi. 
According  to  the  adopted  rule  of  giving  to  the  pris- 
oners a  defender  from  among  the  lawyers  of  the  court, 
the  commission  chose  for  that  office  Ulisses  Pantoli, 
LL.  D.,  who,  being  in  the  employment  of  the  papal 
government,  and  having  many  children  relying  on  his 
small  salary,  would,  it  was  thought,  be  tractable,  and 
not  disposed  to  make  a  real  defence  for  the  prisoners. 
But  Pantoli  was  an  honest  man,  above  all  temptation ; 
and,  being  now  placed  between  his  family  and  his 
conscience,  he  sacrificed  the  interests  of  the  former 
to  his  duty,  by  making  a  full  and  independent  defence 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  281 

of  the  prisoners.  It  was,  of  course,  of  no  avail  to 
them,  and  he  was  deprived  of  his  employment,  and 
forbidden  to  leave  the  city  of  Ravenna  without  an 
express  permission  from  the  "legato,"  Cardinal  Mas- 
simi.  After  a  few  days,  however,  Ulisses  Pantoli  left 
Ravenna  and  the  world,  being  removed  by  sudden 
death,  which  was  attributed  to  a  powerful  poison  I 

It  happened  about  this  time  that  one  evening,  when 
Cardinal  Massimi  was  going  out  from  the  theatre,  an 
oflScer  of  police  was  stabbed  and  killed  almost  under 
his  eyes,  and  the  murderer  fled  without  being  recog- 
nized by  the  other  oflicers  who  were  present.  It  was 
afterwards  discovered  that  the  murder  was  committed 
by  a  jealous  husband  to  revenge  a  shocking  outrage. 
But  Cardinal  Massimi,  thinking  that  the  officer  had 
been  killed  on  account  of  his  zeal  for  the  service  of 
the  government,  gave  orders  that  the  murderer  should 
be  found  and  executed  before  three  days  should  pass. 
The  police,  being  unable  to  find  the  offender,  impris- 
oned a  young  man  whose  hatred  to  the  government 
was  well  known,  and  charged  him  with  the  murder. 
He  was  tried,  condemned,  and  beheaded,  according  to 
the  orders  of  the  legato. 

A  few  days  after  the  true  murderer  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  government,  and  Cardinal  Massimi  coolly 
ordered  the  executioner  to  behead  him  for  the  crime, 
observing  that  the  man  executed  had  no  doubt  de- 
served his  fate  on  account  of  some  other  crime  known 
to  God,  who  had  permitted  his  death. 

But,  instead  of  noticing  more  deeds  of  that  cruel 
cardinal,  I  will  narrate  in  what  manner  he  ended  his 
life.  Recalled  to  Rome  on  some  business,  he  was 
again  to  start  for  Ravenna,  when  he  received  through 
the  post-office  a  fine  drawing  which  represented  his 
24* 


282  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

own  intended  solemn  entrance  into  Ravenna.  In  this 
drawing  was  depicted  the  gate,  at  which  stood  an  old 
man  holding  the  bleeding  head  of  a  youth,  evidently 
his  son,  and  moving  it  so  as  to  cast  the  blood  upon 
the  head  of  the  cardinal,  who,  in  the  act  of  drawing 
back,  was  seized  behind  by  a  devil.  Cardinal  Massimi 
laughed  at  it,  and,  calling  his  favorite  cook,  ordered 
him  to  prepare  a  good  dinner,  which  he  invited  some 
friends  to  attend.  When  the  dinner  was  over,  Cardi- 
nal Massimi,  having  indulged  in  drinking  more  than  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  doing,  retired,  somewhat  intoxi- 
cated, to  his  room.  He  was  afterwards  found  dead  in 
his  arm-chair. 


CHAPTER  XXXYI. 

DEATH  OF  THE  POPE  GREGORY  XVI. 

"  The  pope  is  sick,  —  dangerously  sick,"  my  friend 
Fabio  whispered  in  my  ear,  when  I  met  him  at  the 
hall  of  the  court  (monte  citorio),  on  the  morning  of 
the  29th  of  May,  1846 ;  and  I  easily  perceived  that 
the  same  news  occupied  the  different  groups  collected 
here  and  there.  All  were  talking  of  the  probable 
death  of  the  pope ;  but  no  one  dared  to  speak  openly, 
or  permit  his  sanguine  expectations  to  be  known,  for, 
on  former  occasions  of  dangerous  sickness,  the  pope, 
when  he  recovered,  had  severely  punished  those  in- 
cautious persons  who  had  manifested  premature  joy. 
For  the  same  reason  the  sickness  and  approaching 
death  of  the  pope  were  spoken  of  with  caution  and 
mystery  throughout  the  whole  city.  Spies  and  the 
agents  of  police,  however,  were  busy  in  every  place, 
contradicting  the  news,  and  endeavoring  to  strike 
people  with  fear. 

The  dean  of  the  college  of  the  cardinals,  then  Car- 
dinal Micara,  went  to  the  "Vatican,  for,  on  account  of 
his  dignity,  he  had  the  exclusive  right  of  assisting  and 
administering  the  sacraments  to  the  dying  pope ;  but 
he  was  refused  admittance  to  the  sick  room  by  Car- 
dinal Lambruschini,  the  premier  of  the  pope,  who 
asserted  that  his  holiness  was  a  great  deal  better,  and 

(283) 


284  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

wanted  to  see  nobody  but  his  immediate  servants.  In 
accordance  with  this,  a  statement  appeared  in  the 
official  newspaper  that  the  pope  was  in  good  health, 
and  on  the  morrow,  which  was  Ascension  Day,  would 
attend  in  person  high  mass  in  the  Church  of  Santa 
Maria  Novella. 

The  next  morning  all  the  streets  leading  to  that 
church  from  the  Vatican  were  crowded  with  a  bustling 
people,  from  every  class  and  condition  of  society,  all 
anxious  to  see  whether  the  pope  would  really  go  to 
the  church,  and,  if  so,  to  look  upon  his  face,  and  judge 
for  themselves  if  there  was  any  presage  of  death :  for, 
although  eighty-two  years  old,  and  swollen  with  hu- 
mors, he  seemed  to  baffle  all  speculations,  both  of  his 
friends  and  enemies,  as  to  his  death.  The  premier. 
Cardinal  Lambruschini,  had  determined  to  send  the 
pope,  at  any  rate,  to  the  church.  The  streets  were 
covered  with  yellow  sand,  and  looked  as  if  carpeted. 
Here  and  there  were  distributed  many  companies  of 
well-armed  soldiers,  and  other  soldiers  on  horseback 
were  trotting  up  and  down,  or  kept  in  reserve  at  the 
most  convenient  places.  The  whole  of  this  customary 
preparation  meant,  of  course,  that  the  pope  was  to  pass 
through  in  his  gala-coach;  but,  when  in  the  act  of 
being  placed  in  it,  he  fainted,  and  was  taken  again  to 
his  bed,  and  from  that  moment  he  declined  rapidly. 

In  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  courtiers  to  conceal 
the  truth  from  the  public,  and  to  attribute  to  some 
other  cause  the  non-appearance  of  the  pope,  the  peo- 
ple were  informed  of  the  fact  almost  with  the  rapidity 
of  an  electric  shock.  To  explain  the  fierce  and  ill- 
disguised  joy  which  was  now  to  be  seen  on  nearly 
every  face,  it  must  be  kept  steadily  in  view  that 
there  was  not  perhaps  any  family  in  the  Roman  State 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  285 

who  had  not  to  mourn  some  dear  relative  imprisoned, 
exiled,  or  executed.  The  old  pope  was  in  the  habit 
of  boasting  that  he  had  never  pardoned  any  one  since 
he  had  been  invested  with  authority,  both  in  his  con- 
vent and  on  the  throne.  His  death  was  therefore  the 
only  ground  of  hope  to  many  afflicted  mothers,  wives, 
and  sisters,  as  well  as  to  others  deeply  interested  in 
the  fate  of  the  surviving  victims ;  for  it  is  a  custom 
with  every  new  "  infalhble  pope  ^'  to  clear  the  prisons 
of  the  victims  of  his  no  less  infallible  predecessor,  in 
order  to  make  room  for  his  own. 
-  While,  after  this,  I  was  hasting  to  my  home,  in 
order  to  carry  the  glad  tidings  to  my  good  sister,  I 
was  called  in  by  an  elderly  lady  of  my  acquaintance, 
who  was  standing  at  the  door  of  her  house.  She  was 
English  by  birth,  but  had  married  a  rich  Roman  gen- 
tleman, and  had  two  sons,  who,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
had  been  imprisoned  since  the  year  1838.  "What 
news  ?  "  said  she  ;  "  will  the  pope  really  die  this  time  ?  " 

"  I  have  but  little  doubt  about  it,"  answered  I ; 
"  but  I  do  not  attach  to  the  death  of  that  wicked  man 
the  importance  which  you  and  many  others  do.  It  is 
of  the  institution  that  we  want  to  get  rid,  for,  while 
papacy  exists,  we  shall  have  wicked  popes." 

"  It  may  be,  —  nay,  so  it  is,"  replied  the  lady ;  "  but 
at  this  moment  I  cannot  think  of  anything  but  of  hav- 
ing my  husband  and  my  sons  free  again.  For  eight 
years,  in  mourning  and  in  tears,  I  have  dwelt  alone  in 
this  desolate  house,  formerly  the  most  happy  home.  I 
have  pardoned  him  who  has  caused  me  this  misery,  — 
may  God  be  merciful  unto  him !  —  but  I  cannot  help 
feeling  a  desire  that  a  stop  should  be  put  to  his 
cruelties." 


286  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

"  Did  yon  ever,  during  all  this  time,  apply  to  the 
pope  for  pardon  ?  " 

"  I  did,"  answered  the  lady,  "  though  my  husband 
had  forbid  me  to  do  so.  It  was  very  difficult  to  ob- 
tain from  the  pope  an  audience,  and,  when  granted,  it 
was  only  on  condition  of  my  not  speaking  of  anything 
important.  So  that  I  prevailed  on  the  English  consul 
to  present  my  petition,  and  implore  for  me  ;  but  in 
vain.  Then  I  waited  for  the  occasion  on  which  the 
pope  went  to  Ancona.  He  was  to  pass  under  the 
walls  of  the  fortress  of  Civita  Castellana,  where  my 
husband  and  my  sons  were  confined,  together  with 
many  other  gentlemen  of  this  city.  I  entered  into  a 
sort  of  conspiracy  with  the  ladies  of  those  gentlemen,^ 
and,  when  the  carriage  of  the  pope  happened  to  pass 
near  the  fortress,  my  companions  and  I,  all  in  mourn- 
ing, and  many  of  them  with  their  children,  came  out 
from  a  kind  of  ambush,  threw  ourselves  upon  our 
knees  in  the  road,  exhibited  our  petitions,  and  cried 
for  mercy." 

"  Did  the  pope  stop  the  carriage  ?  "  inquired  I. 

*^  No,"  said  she  ;  "  he  looked  indignant  at  our  bold- 
ness ;  but  the  drivers  of  his  twelve  horses,  having 
been  bribed,  stopped  for  a  little  while,  and  I  rushed 
towards  the  window  of  the  carriage,  and  offered  a  rich 
white  banner,  on  which  I  had  embroidered  with  gold 
the  Latin  words,  ^  Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo,  et  in  terra  pax 
hominibus '  (namely,  '•  Glory  to  God  on  high,  and  peace 
to  men  on  earth').  I  was  not  permitted  to  approach 
near  enough  to  hand  it  to  the  pope  myself,  but  a  noble 
guard  on  horseback  did  so,  then  took  our  petitions, 
and  presented  them  to  him.  He  looked  angry ;  but, 
on  reading  the  words  upon  the  banner,  his  face  re- 
laxed to  a  smile  of  sell-satisfaction,  and,  uttering  the 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  287 

words  'bonas  voluntatis'  (of  good  will),  which  follow 
in  the  text  of  that  sentence,  he  went  away,  laughing 
at  his  own  wit/' 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  a  good  pope  must  be  insensible  to 
sentiments  of  humanity  and  to  family  affection.  For 
this  reason  he  cannot  have  a  family ;  he  must  belong 
entirely  to  his  own  caste ;  and  his  feelings,  his  aims, 
his  ambition,  must  have  only  one  end,  —  the  indefinite 
exaltation  and  dominion  of  his  caste  over  all  people. 
Every  opposition  to  it  is  a  crime  which  he  cannot  for- 
give without  compromising  the  whole  system." 

"  But  why,"  interrupted  the  lady,  "  do  the  ministers 
of  the  pope  make  such  a  mystery  of  his  sickness,  and 
try  to  deceive  the  public  about  the  danger  in  which 
his  life  is?" 

"  They  are  afraid,"  answered  I,  "  of  a  popular  com- 
motion, which  would  be  more  dangerous  than  ever,  if 
made  with  previous  accord,  at  the  moment  of  anarchy 
which  follows  the  death  of  a  pope,  and  lasts  till  the 
cardinals  come  to  an  understanding  as  to  a  pr  .^visional 
government.  Besides,  Cardinal  Lambruschini,  the 
premier  of  the  pope,  has  a  large  party  among  the 
young  cardinals  created  by  his  influence ;  but  all  the 
old  cardinals  hate  him;  and  if  Cardinal  Micara,  the 
dean,  and  Cardinal  Castracane,  the  ^  great  peniten- 
tiary '  (pcenitentiarius),  should  be  admitted  to  assist 
the  dying  pope,  they  would  easily  prevail  on  his 
weakened  mind  to  dismiss  the  present  ministry,  and 
would  take  for  themselves  the  advantages  arising  on 
such  an  occasion  from  the  possession  of  power,  pub- 
lic revenues,  and  all  kinds  of  employment  and  grat- 
ification." 

Two  days  more  of  eager  expectation  had  elapsed ; 
and  it  was  the  morning  of  the  first  of  June,  1846, 


288  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

when  my  sister,  entering  my  office  room  with  an 
expression  of  emphatic  joy,  said,  "  The  pope  is  dead, 
—  really  dead.  There  is  no  doubt  of  it ;  for  the 
daughter  of  the  officer  of  the  noble  guard,  who  is  our 
neighbor,  has  shown  me  the  note  requesting  her  father 
to  go  and  watch  the  corpse." 

"  Is  it  not  wrong,"  observed  I,  in  a  tone  of  gentle 
reproof,  "  to  rejoice  so  much  at  his  death  ?  Was  he 
not  a  man  like  us  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  excited  girl,  "  he  was  a  wicked 
tyrant ;  and  our  Henry  will  be  restored  to  us." 

At  this,  the  mournful  sound  of  the  large  bell  of  the 
Capitol  was  heard,  announcing  to  Rome  the  death  of 
the  pope ;  and,  soon  after,  the  whole  range  of  above 
fifteen  hundred  bells  belonging  to  the  five  hundred 
and  six  churches  of  Rome  were  rung  "  for  the  benefit 
of  the  soul  of  the  holy  father."  I  went  straight  to 
the  Vatican,  where  the  greatest  confusion  prevailed. 
The  pope's  "  family  "  — r  that  is,  the  numerous  tribe  of 
servants,  waiters,  priests,  and  prelates,  who  attend  him 
personally  —  have  a  right,  when  he  dies,  to  ransack 
his  apartments  completely.  This  operation  was  then 
going  on  with  much  noise  and  eagerness,  so  that 
many  inquisitive  persons,  as  well  as  myself,  met  with 
no  opposition  in  penetrating  into  the  private  apart- 
ments where  the  corpse  of  the  pope  lay. 

It  had  just  been  taken  from  the  bed,  and  placed  on 
a  large  marble  table,  in  a  large  saloon  adjoining,  where 
a  few  "  noble  guards "  and  a  magister  ostiarius  de 
verga  ruhea  were  in  attendance.  The  last  personage 
was  an  acquaintance  of  mine  ;  for,  his  turns  of  service 
being  short  and  infrequent,  he  was  able  to  practise,  in 
the  mean  time,  before  the  court  in  his  capacity  of 
attorney.     His  duty  at  the  papal  court,  as  well  as  that 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  289 

of  above  fifty  of  Ms  fellow-officers,  was  •  to  wait  in 
rich  attire  at  the  doors  of  the  numerous  papal  ante- 
chambers, in  order  to  open  and  shut  the  frame  called 
hussola ;  so  that  they  are  known  under  the  nickname 
of  hussolanti. 

"  At  what  hour  did  the  pope  die  ? "  inquired  I  of 
the  bussolante,  who  showed  me  that  instinctive  regard 
which  an  indifferent  attorney  usually  feels  for  a  plead- 
ing lawyer. 

^^  No  one  can  tell/'  answered  he,  ^^  for  the  physi- 
cians, who  came  this  morning  at  eight  o'clock  to  hold 
a  consultation  at  his  bed,  found  only  the  cold  corpse." 

"  So,  then,"  observed  I,  "  he  died  alone,  and  had  no 
one  to  wet  his  burning  lips,  or,  during  his  agony,  to 
whisper  words  of  affection,  comfort,  and  hope  ?  " 

^^  Exactly  so,"  answered  the  bussolante,  "  and  with- 
out receiving  the  last  sacraments :  no  viaticum  and  no 
extreme  unction  were  administered  to  him." 

"Do  you  believe,"  said  I,  "that  this  last  privation 
would  much  endanger  his  salvation,  if  he  had  no  other 
accounts  to  render?" 

"  It  is  a  matter  I  little  understand,"  answered  the 
bussolante,  with  a  cunning  look.  "  I  can  only  tell  you, 
that  the  pope  suffered  exceedingly  from  the  abso- 
lute abandonment  in  which  he  was  left,  as  soon  as  his 
courtiers  perceived  no  chance  of  his  recovery.  They 
could  expect  nothing  more  from  him ;  and,  anticipat- 
ing the  chances  of  a  new  election,  they  began  to 
think  of  securing  or  of  improving  their  position  by 
intrigue  and  flattery.  They  excused  their  absence  by 
saying  that  he  wanted  to  be  quiet  and  alone.  But  sel- 
dom was  food  administered  to  him ;  and  all  his  re- 
quests for  a  little  more,  and  for  a  little  wine,  now 
almost  indispensable  to  his  life,  met  always  with  the 
25 


290  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

answer  that  the  physician  would  not  allow  him  to  have 
it.  He  would  then  give  a  positive  order^  but  the  offi- 
cer who  received  it  did  not  make  his  appearance 
again. 

"Yesterday  morning/'  added  the  bussolante,."  at 
nine  o'clock,  on  hearing  a  violent  ringing  of  the  bell, 
1  ventured  to  enter  the  bedroom  of  the  pope,  and,  by 
such  an  infraction  of  discipline,  exposed  myself  to 
great  danger.  I  was  exceedingly  moved  at  the  sight. 
Alone  in  that  hot  and  mephitic  room,  feeble  and  aflnost 
fainting  for  want  of  food,  he  was  tormented  by  thirst 
and  by  flies.  It  was  with  an  almost  supplicating  air 
that  he  told  me  to  remain  there  with  him  for  some 
time.  He  was  no  longer  the  haughty  and  frowning 
sovereign :  bitter  disappointment  had  broken  down  his 
spirits  and  his  hopes.  I  was  there  for  almost  three 
hours,  and  was  very  glad  when  he  dismissed  me,  as 
I  was  afraid  of  being  discovered,  and  the  air  of  the 
room  was  insupportable." 

This  narrative  made  upon  my  mind  a  deep  impres- 
sion, though  I  had  come  with  but  little  kindness  of 
feeling  towards  a  man  who  had  caused  so  much  sor- 
row to  my  country,  to  my  family,  and  to  myself.  But 
to  hear  of  his  miserable  end,  and  to  see  before  me 
that  mouth,  convulsed  and  shut  forever,  —  that  mouth 
from  which  issued  words  of  vengeance  and  blood, — 
was  enough  to  calm  my  anger.  The  cruel  and  proud 
tyrant  had  given  place,  first  to  a  suffering  man,  and 
then  to  a  wretched  wreck  of  humanity.  And  now  I 
could  not  help  thinking  with  pity  of  his  miserable  soul, 
trembling  before  the  eternal  Judge,  and  hearing  the 
terrible  words,  "  I  gave  you  a  people :  what  have  you 
done  with  them  ?  " 

Only  a  few  months  before,  Massimo  D'Azeglio  had 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  291 

denounced  the  cruelties  and  misgovernment  of  the 
pope^  in  his  book  on  the  "  Events  of  Romagna,"  and 
made  an  eloquent  appeal  to  his  conscience.  The 
answer  was  an  aggravation  of  those  wicked  proceed- 
ings. But  now,  to  the  dejected  mind  of  the  sick  and 
disappointed  pope,  in  the  painful  moments  of  his  last 
agony,  when  no  friendly  voice  came  to  his  ears,  per- 
haps bitterly  recurred  the  warning  of  the  sincere 
counsellor,  whom  he  had  wished  to  sacrifice  to  his 
anger. 

"  Of  the  risings  of  Romagna,"  said  Azeglio,  "  of 
those  slaughters,  those  exiles,  of  the  tears  of  so  many 
unhappy  persons,  you  will  have  to  render  an  account 
to  God,  —  you,  their  governor,  and  not  they,  your 
wretched  subjects,  trodden  under  foot.  Their  blood 
will  be  rained  down  on  your  head;  their  sorrows,  their 
tears,  will  be  judged  of  by  that  tribunal  before  which 
come  neither  crowns  nor  sceptres  nor  tiaras,  —  things 
which  have  mouldered  in  the  grave,  —  but  where  is 
presented  only  the  naked  human  soul,  with  no  other 
safeguard  against  the  sword  of  eternal  justice  than 
the  shield  of  its  own  innocence ;  where  your  deeds 
will  be  weighed  in  those  incorruptible  scales  in  which 
the  least  of  injuries  done  to  the  least  of  men  weighs 
heavier  than  all  the  thrones  and  all  the  sceptres  of  the 
universe." 

My  conversation  with  the  bussolante,  my  reflections 
and  my  remembrances,  were  interrupted  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  Cardinal  Camerlengo,  with  a  large  number 
of  attendants,  all,  as  usual,  in  magnificent  attire. 
Among  them  were  the  notaries  of  the  Reverend  Apos- 
tolic Chamber,  the  general  of  the  noble  guards,  the 
marshal  of  the  conclave,  and  several  other  high  offi- 
cers of  the  papal  court.     The  notaries  wrote  out,  in 


292  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

a  curial  Latin  style,  a  document  concerning  the  "  ap- 
pearance "  before  them,  and  the  witnesses!  of  "  Greg- 
ory XYI.,  Pontifex  Optimus  Maximus,"  and  read  it 
solemnly.  Then  the  Cardinal  Camerlengo,  holding  a 
golden  hammer  in  his  right  hand,  approached  the  mar- 
ble table,  struck  the  corpse  on  the  head  and  on  the 
breast,  and  exclaimed,  '^  0  sanctissime  Domine,  Papa 
Gregori  decime-sexte ! " 

The  corpse,  of  course,  answered  nothing ;  and  the 
notaries  wrote  out  another  authentic  document  con- 
cerning that  "not  answer."  The  Camerlengo  re- 
peated three  times  his  strokes  and  calls ;  but  the 
corpse  was  constantly  silent.  He,  therefore,  after 
hearing  the  unanimous  opinion  of  all  the  dignitaries 
and  high  officers  gathered  there,  solemnly  decreed 
that  "his  holiness  Pope  Gregory  XYI.,  best  and 
greatest  pontiff,  who  had  formerly  reigned  happily, 
was  now  dead."  This  decree  was  solemnly  recorded 
by  the  notaries ;  and,  from  that  moment,  Gregory 
XYI.  ceased  to  reign. 

Next  they  brought  to  Cardinal  Camerlengo  the 
famous  "  ring  of  the  fisherman,"  which  is  a  kind  of 
seal  in  the  shape  of  the  ancient  signatorius  annuluSj 
with  which  the  pope  signs  his  bulls,  and  which  are 
therefore  said  to  be  dated  suh  annulo  piscatoris.  It 
is  called  "  the  ring  of  the  fisherman  "  because  it  rep- 
resents Peter  in  the  act  of  fishing.  The  cardinal  per- 
formed many  ceremonies  and  exorcisms  upon  that 
magic  ring,  in  order  to  deprive  it  of  all  the  preroga- 
tives with  which  consecration  had  endowed  it;  and 
then  he  struck  the  ring  with  his  golden  hammer,  and 
an  officer  broke  it  by  a  sharp  instrument.  From  that 
moment  ended  also  the  spiritual  authority  of  Greg- 
ory XYI. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

JUDGMENT   ON  THE   GRAVE. 

*'  Had  Gregory  XVI.  no  friend  or  relative  ? "  in- 
quired M.  Clovis,  an  accomplished  French  gentleman, 
who  had  heard  of  the  miserable  end  of  this  pope. 

"  Friends  ! "  answered  I ;  "  tyrants  have  none  ;  they 
are  able  neither  to  feel  nor  to  excite  a  noble  senti- 
ment. Instead  of  friends  he  had  favorites,  who  too 
often  led  him  astray,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
shamefully  fled  from  his  deathbed.  His  relations  were 
not  permitted  by  that  heartless  man  to  come  to  Rome. 
They  lived  in  Belluno,  a  town  in  the  Venetian  terri- 
tory, and  were  honest  people.  He  could  not  bear 
them ;  he  had  given  up  all  family  affections  in  order 
to  make  himself  a  friar,  and  was  not  able  to  love  any 
one  but  himself." 

"  I  have  been  told,  however,"  observed  M.  Clovis, 
'^  that,  by  his  last  will,  Gregory  XVI.  bestowed  upon 
his  family  more  than  two  milHons  of  dollars." 

"  Very  true.  He  came  to  the  throne  a  poor  friar, 
and,  having  robbed  the  state  of  that  immense  sum, 
bestowed  it  upon  his  relations,  because  he  could  not 
carry  it  with  him  after  death.  Ambition,  besides,  was 
not  the  least  motive  for  such  liberality,  for  he  erected 
a  primogeniture,  and  gave  the  title  of  Roman  Prince 
to  his  nephew,  in  order  to  give  dignity  to  his  vulgar 
25*  (293) 


294  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

name  ^  Cappellari '  (hatters).  So  that  you  cannot 
praise  him  for  his  will ;  nay,  there  is  in  that  disposi- 
tion a  striking  feature,  which  will  give  you  an  idea  of 
his  disregard  of  the  law, — he  commands  that  his  heirs 
should  not  be  subjected  to  the  common  law,  exacting 
a  tax  from  the  collateral  heirs.  In  such  a  manner  he 
endeavored  to  scorn  the  law,  even  after  his  death." 

Gregory  XYI.  having  departed  from  this  life,  and 
his  body  having  been  duly  and  solemnly  deprived 
first  of  political  power,  and  then  of  religious  au- 
thority, the  surgeons  of  the  papal  court  came  in  and 
took  the  corpse,  in  order  to  have  it  dissected  and  em-" 
balmed  immediately;  for  the  hot  weather,  and  the 
condition  of  the  body,  would  have  made  the  operation 
impossible  if  delayed  any  longer.  They  found  noth- 
ing in  the  stomach  except  some  seeds  of  lemon, 
which,  evidently,  he  had  swallowed  through  hunger 
the  day  before.  The  stomach,  the  heart,  and  all  the 
bowels,  were  put  in  a  proper  vase,  and  taken  in  pro- 
cession to  the  church  of  "  S.  Anastasio,"  near  the 
fountain  of  Trevi,  where  the  bowels  of  hundreds  of 
the  preceding  popes  are  kept. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  embalmed  limbs  were  clad  in 
rich  pontifical  dress,  and  exposed  to  the  pubKc  in  the 
cappella  ardente,  a  chapel,  with  numberless  burning 
wax  candles.  I  went  to  see  it,  and  thought  that,  after 
so  many  desecl-ating  ceremonies,  and  the  profane  op- 
eration of  the  surgeons,  the  corpse  would  have  lost 
aU  its  holiness  ;  but  I  was  mistaken.  I  was  informed 
that  the  feet,  being,  perhaps,  the  most  holy  part,  of  the 
papal  body  (santissimi  piedijj  would  retain  something 
of  their  former  virtue  for  three  days  more.  They 
had,  therefore,  been  left  naked,  in  order  that  any  one 
might  kiss  them,  and  gain  the  indulgence   of  a  dis- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  295 

count  of  seven  years  from  their  future  condemnation 
to  purgatory.  I  saw  some  dirty  pilgrims  from  beyond 
the  Alps  heroically  conquering  their  natural  repug- 
nance, to  gain  so  great  a  reward ;  but  none  of  my 
fellow-citizens  showed  courage  so  devout. 

During  three  days  the  honors  of  the  court  were 
paid  to  that  embalmed  corpse,  and  three  times  a  day 
the  great  dignitaries  and  officers  belonging  to  the 
kitchen  went  to  ask  for  its  orders  concerning  meals, 
and  all  these  occurrences  were  registered  by  the  nota- 
ries of  the  Reverend  Apostolic  Chamber.  This  treat- 
ment, which  is  customary  on  the  occasion  of  the  death 
of  every  pbpe,  had  then  the  appearance  of  a  cruel 
satire,  for  it  was  well  known  that  Gregory  XVI.  had 
been  left  to'starve  during  the  last  moments  of  his  life. 

The  three  days  of  the  exhibition  being  over,  the 
body  was  put  into  a  coffin  and  placed  upon  the  sum- 
mit of  a  catafciLco,  or  bier,  erected  in  the  main  nave 
of  St.  Peter's  Church.  The  funeral  rites  were  per- 
formed around  that  lofty  catafalco  during  nine  days, 
with  the  usual  pomp :  a  great  many  masses  were  said 
by  well-paid  priests,  excellent  music  was  constantly 
performed  during  this  time,  and  a  thousand  large  wax 
candles  were  burning  day  and  night.  All  this  was 
done  for  the  benefit  of  the  soul  of  the  pope,  and  cost 
the  state  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  At 
length  the  costly  remains  were  shut  up  in  a  marble 
tomb,  on  which  Pasquino  sat  to  judge  the  acts  of  the 
deceased. 

Who  is  Pasquino  ? 

"I  should  like  to  see  Pasquino,  and  know  some- 
thing about  this  witty  personage,"  said  a  traveller  to 
a  cicerone  of  Eome,  who  took  him  to  the  conjunction 
of  two  narrow  streets  near  Piazza  Navona,  and  there, 


296  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

pointing  at  a  mere  wreck  of  a  marble  statue,  said, 
"  Here  is  Pasquino." 

That  statue,  among  the  many  erected  to  the  Roman 
emperors,  was  the  only  one  still  standing  undisturbed 
upon  its  pedestal  in  Rome  in  the  days  of  Cola  da  Ri- 
enzi,  "the  last  of  the  tribunes."  The  populace  threw 
it  down,  dragged  it  along  the  streets  of  Rome,  and 
left  it  mutilated  and  broken  in  a  corner,  near  its  pres- 
ent place.  It  was  Prince  Braschi,  the  nephew  of  Pius 
YI.,  who,  building  there  a  palace  for  himself,  gave  a 
place  in  an  exterior  corner  of  it  to  that  wreck  of  a 
statue,  which  had  acquired  an  European  renown,  and 
given  the  name  to  a  new  kind  of  poem, 'called  pas- 
quinade. 

Pasquino  was  a  poor  tailor,  who  kept  a  shop  near 
to  the  corner  where  that  mutilated  statue  stood  for- 
merly. He  had  the  talent  of  a  great  poet,  and  dread- 
ful was  his  sarcastic  wit.  Pasquino  used  to  compose, 
occasionally,  some  satire  against  the  popes  and  their 
court,  and,  as  the  means  of  publication,  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  hanging  his  satires  to  the  mutilated  statue. 
A  pope,  enraged  to  madness  by  the  cruel  satires  of 
which  he  was  a  constant  object,  said  one  day,  "  I  will 
discover  the  author  of  them,  at  any  rate."  The  satir- 
ist answered  by  a  card  hanging  from  the  neck  of  the 
statue,  "Thou  wilt  know  nothing,  as  we  were  but 
three  at  work,  —  my  pen,  the  inkstand,  and  I."  But, 
notwithstanding  this  bold  declaration,  the  tailor-poet 
was  allured  and  caught  in  a  snare  by  the  cunning 
pope,  who  offered  impunity  and  a  reward  to  the  cul- 
prit, provided  he  should  make  a  full  confession,  and 
write  no  more  satires.  The  reward  was  punctually 
paid,  and  the  life  and  liberty  of  the  poet  were  spared, 


THE    ROMAN    EXILE.  297 

but  he  had  his  tongue  and  hands  cut  off,  that  he  might 
faithfully  keep  the  condition. 

The  unlucky  satirist,  however,  having  recovered 
from  the  sickness  caused  him  by  such  treatment,  was 
seen  one  morning  sitting  upon  the  ruined  statue,  and 
showing  his  handless  arms  and  widowed  mouth:  he 
was  himself  a  satire.  From  that  moment  both  the 
statue  and  the  place  took  the  name  of  Pasquino,  the 
poor  tailor,  and  hardly  was  a  satire  made  in  which 
Pasquino  was  not  introduced,  speaking  or  dialoguing ; 
so  that  he  became  the  representative  of  the  satirical 
humor  of  the  Roman  people,  whose  frequent  and 
witty  satires  are  consequently  called  "  Pasquinades. '^ 
The  Roman  people  indulge  freely  in  them  on  every 
occasion,  but  more  especially  when  the  death  of  a  pope 
occurs.  To  trace  the  authors  of  these  pasquinades  is 
almost  impossible. 

"  Have  you  seen  a  pasquinade  this  morning  ? "  a 
mason  will  ask  his  fellows,  as  they  meet  at  work. 

"  No ;  tell  us  what  it  was,"  will  be  the  answer  ; 
and  then  the  former  will  recite  one  which  he  himself 
has  made,  and  which  will  travel  over  all  the  city,  and 
come  back  to  its  author  greatly  improved.  In  like 
manner,  a  young  artist,  taking  his  breakfast  for  three 
cents  at  a  coffee-house,  will  sketch  upon  the  white 
marble  table  a  satire,  which,  says  he,  was  hanging  at 
a  corner  of  a  distant  street  early  in  the  morning. 
Some  of  the  waiters  will  copy  it,  and,  when  the  young 
artist  goes  in  the  evening  to  the  Coffee-house  of  the 
Fine  Art^  T^V^/^e  delle  belle  Arti),  many  a  friend  will 
show  him  improved  editions  of  his  work,  which  he 
brings  into  the  saloon,  as  novelties,  just  discovered. 

But  the  cruelties  of  Gregory  XVI.  were  not  a 
matter  for  witty  pasquinades ;  for  still  fresh  was  the 


298  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

bloody  and  audible  were  the  groans,  of  the  victims. 
But  his  private  life  offered  a  large  store  of  bad  habits 
and  shameful  vices  to  be  chastised.  His  favorite  ser- 
vant, called  Gaetanino,  was,  however,  the*  most  com- 
mon subject  of  pasquinades,  revealing  scandals  too 
dreadful  for  unaccustomed  ears.  The  drunkenness, 
also,  of  the  pope,  and  his  impotent  rage  against  the 
art  of  printing,  and  every  kind  of  modern  invention 
and  improvement,  were  freely  denounced. 

"  Who  was  that  famous  Gaetanino  ?  '^  asked  an  Eng- 
lish gentleman  whom  I  met  in  a  society  where  a  witty 
pasquinade  on  that  person  had  been  read. 

"  His  real  name,"  said  I,  "  is  Gaetano  Moroni.  He 
was  a  poor  boy  in  the  employment  of  a  barber,  who 
still  does  business  in  Yia  Camaldolesi,  opposite  the 
convent  where  lived  Fra  Mauro  Cappellari,  afterwards 
Gregory  XYI.  On  this  boy  the  friar  looked  with 
great  benevolence,  and  afterwards  took  him  into  his 
service.  Gaetano  Moroni  became  the  chief  waiter 
(primo  cameriere)  of  the  pope,  and  the  influence  of 
this  favorite  was  said  to  be  boundless.  Now,  of 
course,  Gaetanino  was  no  longer  a  boy:  he  had  grown 
to  be  a  fine-looking  man,  and  had  a  very  handsome 
wife,  too.  They  had  a  fine  child,  bearing  the  name 
of  their  benefactor,  and  nursed  by  a  most  beautiful 
girl.  These  were  the  only  persons  with  whom  the 
pope  familiarly  dwelt,  and  they  alone  took  care  of  him 
when  sick  or  drunk. 

"The  child  died  young,  and  the  pope  was  much 
affected  by  this  domestic  affliction,  and  erected  an 
appropriate  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  '  little 
Gregory.'  Pasquino  wrote  satirically  upon  that  monu- 
ment, '  Mre  publico  —  parvulo  Gregory  —  benemerito 
patriaB  —  obiit  cito  ne  patris  exampla  videret.'     Gaet- 


THE   EOMAK   EXILE.  299 

ano  Moroni  and  the  pope  were  much  incensed  by  this 
insult  to  their  sincere  grief,  and  tried  every  means  to 
find  out  the  author;  who,  however,  always  kept  a 
modest  incognito.  Besides,  another  domestic  trouble 
was  caused  indirectly  by  that  death ;  for  the  wife  of 
Gaetanino,  having  lost  the  child,  thought  she  no  longer 
needed  the  services  of  the  pretty  nurse,  and  was  about 
to  discharge  her ;  but  the  pious  pope  thought  it  too 
bad,  and  interfered  in  order  that  she  might  be  kept 
for  further  occurrences.  His  opinion,  of  course,  pre- 
vailed, but  to  keep  in  good  accord  those  two  women 
was  not  an  easy  task,  even  for  a  'very  holy  pope.' " 

"  Is  there  any  danger,"  inquired  my  EngHsh  friend, 
"that  you  may  have  borrowed  from  Pasquino  this 
narrative  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  I.  "  My  narrative,  in  such  a 
case,  would  have  been  filled  with  severe  expressions 
and  scandalous  anecdotes.  I  know  that  foreigners 
cannot  believe  such  things ;  but  Pasquino  speaks  to 
the  Roman  people,  that  is,  to  the  eye-witnesses  of  the 
facts  which  he  denounces,  and  can,  therefore,  be  ex- 
plicit." 

Next  morning  I  met  the  same  gentleman  at  a  cof- 
fee-house, where  I  went  to  take  breakfast,  and  we 
spoke  again  of  the  pasquinades.  "  Look  here  ! "  said 
I  to  the  EngHshman ;  "  do  you  see  that  young  man 
sitting  alone  and  thoughtful  in  the  sohtary  corner  ?  " 

"I  do,"  answered  the  Englishman;  and  I  replied, 
"Well,  I  know  him;  he  is  my  bootmaker,  and  I  sup- 
pose is  now  composing  a  pasquinade." 

At  this  the  young  bootmaker,  awaking  from  a  kind 
of  dream,  put  on  his  hat,  and  went  away,  with  his 
eyes  cast  down,  and   smiling   to   himself.      "  Hallo  I 


300  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

Giuseppe,"  said  I,  as  he  passed  before  me ;  "  is  there 
any  new  pasquinade  this  morning  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  he,  '^  I  have  seen  a  pretty 
one,  and  will  tell  it  to  you  ;  for  I  suppose  your  com- 
panion is  a  prudent  and  honest  man.  The  pasquinade 
which  I  have  seen  was  a  bill  of  lading  for  the  papal 
bark  called  ^  Speranza,'  Capt.  G.  Cialdi,  bound  to  Bahia 
in  Brazil,  under  the  papal  colors,  and  the  keys  of  both 
heaven  and  hell  were  printed  on  it.  The  pope,  also, 
was  represented  as  the  proprietor  of  the  cargo,  en- 
tirely composed  of  white  slaves,  aged  from  twenty  to 
forty,  under  '  the  care  of  God,'  not  being  insured  ; 
and  the  consignee  was  the  Archbishop  of  Bahia.  The 
bill  was  then  endorsed  by  an  annotation  of  Peter, 
saying  '  Document  No.  3,  for  the  trial  of  Gregory 
XYL' " 

"  I  find  there  only  a  gratuitous  insult,"  observed  the 
Englishman,  as  soon  as  the  bootmaker  had  gone  ;  but 
I  answered,  "  That  is  because  you  do  not  know,  so 
well  as  the  Roman  people,  for  whom  the  pasquinade 
was  composed,  that,  during  the  year  1838,  Pope 
Gregory  XYI.  really  sent  that  bark,  with  a  cargo  of 
white  slaves,  sold  to  a  company  of  Brazilian  planters, 
through  the  medium  of  the  Archbishop  of  Bahia.  I 
must  add,  however,  that  they  were  all  satisfied  with 
being  sold  into  slavery,  because  they  preferred  it  to  a 
slow  death  in  the  papal  dungeons,  where  they  had 
been  condemned  for  political  ofiences.  The  business 
turned  out  against  the  pope,  as  the  planters  objected 
to  the  condition  of  people  who  had  been  worn  out  by 
past  ill-treatment,  and  unable  to  do  hard  work  from 
their  having  been  all  trained  for  a  literary  career. 
The  contract  was  therefore  broken,  and  Capt.  Cialdi 


THE   nOilxVN   EXILE.  301 

landed  his   cargo,  letting  them  take   care   of  them- 
selves." 

After  this  a  friend  of  mine  came  in.  He  also  had 
his  pasquinade ;  not  made  by  him,  but  improved  from 
the  hints  given  him  by  an  old  clerk  in  his  store,  for 
he  was  a  druggist.  It  was  a  kind  of  dialogue  between 
the  soul  of  the  late  pope  and  St.  Peter,  as  they  met 
not  far  from  the  gate  of  Paradise.  Gregory  was  rep- 
resented as  being  weary  and  overwhelmed  by  fatigue, 
since  he  had  travelled  during  the  last  twelve  days, 
while  his  body  was  on  exhibition  and  receiving 
honors. 

"  0,  at  length  I  have  found  you  !  I  am  very  happy 
to  see  you,"  said  Gregory. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  answered  Peter.  "  I  do  not  know 
you." 

"  I  am  your  great  successor,  as  Vicar  of  God  upon 
the  earth." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you.  Speak  plainly,  and, 
above  all,  do  not  mention  God  in  vain.  Who  are 
you?" 

"  I  am  Gregory." 

"  Gregory  ?  "  repeated  Peter  ;  "  there  was,  indeed, 
a  Gregory  on  the  earth,  but  he  came  here  a  great 
many  years  ago." 

"  True,"  answered  Gregory ;  "  but  he  was  quite 
different  from  me ;  he  was  Gregory  Magno  (which 
means  both  great  and  eater),  and  I  am  Gregory  Be- 
vone  (drunkard)." 

"  Well,"  answered  Peter,  "  then  I  have  heard  of 
you,  I  suppose ;  but  what  do  you  want  here  ?  " 

"  Above  all,  a  little  repose,"  said  Gregory.  "  The 
road  was  so  bad  and  so  long  that  I  feel  quite  ex- 
hausted." 

26 


302  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

"  It  was  your  own  fault,"  observed  Peter.  "  Why 
did  you  obstinately  resist  the  establishment  of  rail- 
roads ?  " 

"  But  it  was  very  dark/'  said  Gregory. 

"  That  was  also  your  fault,"  said  Peter,  "  for  you 
opposed  the  introduction  of  gas-light ;  and  then  they 
have  been  burning,  day  and  night,  thousands  of  large 
wax  candles  —  for  you,  they  say.  Did  you  not  see 
that  great  light  for  the  last  twelve  days  ?  " 

"Do  not  speak  to  me  of  those  people,  —  they  be- 
trayed and  abandoned  me  during  my  last  days." 

"  It  was  well,"  observed  Peter,  "  for  your  heart 
never  felt  friendship  and  compassion." 

"  I  thought,"  said  Gregory  again,  "  that  here,  at 
least,  my  predecessors  would  come  to  meet  me.  Did 
they  not  hear  of  my  death  ?  " 

"  Probably  not,"  answered  Peter,  "  for  you  pro- 
scribed the  electric  telegraphs ;  and  the  few  bishops 
of  Rome  we  have  in  this  place  are  very  old,  having 
been  here  at  least  a  thousand  years." 

"  But  let  me  enter  now  into  Paradise,"  said  Greg- 
ory. 

"  I  pity  you,"  answered  Peter,  "  but  Paradise  is  not 
for  bloody  tyrants  and  impious  impostors.  I  will 
never  open  the  door  to  such  people.  But  did  you 
not  say  that  you  had  the  key  of  heaven  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  think  I  have  it  here,"  replied  Gregory, 
taking  out  a  key  from  his  pocket ;  which,  however, 
was  the  key  of  his  wine-cellar. 

"  Go  away  with  your  cellar-key  I  Paradise  is  not 
for  drunkards." 

"  Pray,"  said  Gregory,  trembling,  "  at  least,  let  me 
go  to  purgatory." 

"Do  as  you  choose,"  said  Peter. 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  303 

"  Where  is  purgatory  ?  "  asked  Gregory. 

"  I  never  heard  of  it." 

Now  Peter  entered  the  gate,  and  shut  the  door 
against  Gregory,  who  was  suddenly  wrapped  in  a  dark 
cloud  of  infernal  smoke. 


CHAPTER   XXXYIII. 

THE   CONCLAVE. 

Papal  tyranny  went  down  to  the  tomb  with  Greg- 
ory XYI.,  and  there  remained  in  a  latent  state  till  it 
was  again  placed  on  the  throne,  two  years  after,  by 
the  allies  of  his  successor.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that 
the  death  of  that  wicked  tyrant  produced  a  change 
of  system,  —  nay,  quite  the  contrary.  The  despotic 
authority  now  devolved  upon  the  cardinals,  who  were 
very  fond  of  it ;  the  oppressive  laws  and  regulations 
were  maintained  in  full  vigor,  and  the  former  agents 
and  executioners  of  that  tyrannical  domination  were 
confirmed  in  their  power  and  offices.  But  no  one 
dared  to  stir,  and  all  the  ordinary  oppressive  measures 
became  harmless  through  want  of  execution. 

"  The  hands  of  the  wicked  have  been  withered,'^ 
often  exclaimed  my  sister,  observing  the  general  sus- 
pension and  confusion  which  had  taken  the  place  of 
the  terror  that  formerly  reigned. 

Her  expression  was  correct:  a  general  withering 
power  affected  the  proudest  cardinal  as  well  as  the 
humblest  catchpoll,  —  it  was  great  fear.  They  were 
all  perfectly  aware  of  the  general  hatred  of  the  people 
against  them.  During  the  last  four  years  five  pop- 
ular movements  had  been  suppressed ;  but  now  the 
government  had  exhausted  its  means  of  oppression, 

(304) 


THE    ROMAN    KXTLE.  305 

while  the  revolutionists  were  constantly  gaining 
strength  and  vigor  even  from  their  failures. 

A  popular  movement,  much  stronger  than  any  for- 
mer attempt,  was  at  hand.  The  cardinals  and  their 
friends  were  aware  of  this,  as  well  as  the  revolution- 
ists themselves ;  but  they  knew  not  how  to  avert  the 
threatening  fury.  The  Swiss  troops,  a  corps  of  six 
thousand  well-armed  and  well-tried  soldiers,  had,  dur- 
ing the  last  twelve  years,  proved  theraselves  faithful 
and  earnest  supporters  of  the  papal  government ;  but 
now  "Young  Italy,"  by  means  of  patient,  constant, 
and  daring  efforts,  had  succeeded  in  conquering  the 
greater  part  of  them,  so  that  they  became  a  burden 
to  the  papal  government  instead  of  being  a  defence. 
In  fact,  soon  after,  they  entered  the  ranks  of  the  rev- 
olutionists. Only  a  few  hundred  Swiss  body-guards 
remained  faithful. 

Austria  and  France  indeed  had  numerous  armies, 
and  were  disposed,  as  usual,  to  support  the  papacy  at 
any  rate ;  but  their  aid  would  probably  come  too  late, 
that  is,  when  a  popular  movement  had  swept  away 
aU  the  cardinals  and  their  domineering  caste.  Be- 
sides, the  whole  of  Europe  was  then  so  excited  and 
convulsed  that  a  general  outbreak  of  the  discontented 
was  to  be  feared  in  Paris  and  Vienna  as  well  as  in 
Rome. 

Trepidation  and  anxiety  then  overwhelmed  the  weak 
minds  of  the  cardinals ;  and  their  officers,  instead  of 
earnestly  pursuing  the  ordinary  system  of  compres- 
sion, seemed  to  be  anxious  only  to  fill  their  pockets, 
as  if  they  considered  the  government  a  general  ship- 
wreck. There  was  a  kind  of  suspension  of  that 
dreadful  pressure  which  weighed  upon  us,  and,  of 
course,  we  eagerly  seized  the  opportunity  to  fortify 
26* 


306  THE    ROJIAN    EXILE. 

ourselves  by  union.  A  return  to  the  former  sys4:em 
soon  became  impossible,  at  least  by  ordinary  means. 
The  municipal  authorities  of  the  most  important  cities 
of  the  Roman  State  showed,  on  this  occasion,  great 
civil  courage  and  patriotism.  They  were  men  of 
wealth,  chosen  by  the  government  from  among  its 
supposed  friends ;  but,  notwithstanding  this,  they  ad- 
dressed the  college  of  the  cardinals  with  protests 
freely  denouncing  the  past  administration.  It  was  a 
new  proof  that  municipal  life  is  so  strong  in  Italy  that 
neither  barbarous  conquerors  nor  tyrannical  govern- 
ments have  been  able  to  destroy  it. 

The  city  of  Rome,  however,  made  no  protest,  be- 
cause it  has  had  no  municipal  authority  since  the  time 
when  Pope  Sixtus  Y.  abolished  it;  but  the  common 
people  expressed  their  wishes  in  a  more  energetic 
manner,  crying  out,  "  We  will  have  no  pope !  down 
with  the  papacy  !  "  This  was  the  outcry  with  which 
the  cardinals  were  saluted  on  their  way  to  the  con 
clave  for  the  election  of  a  new  pope.  The  Roman 
people  were  much  excited  and  exasperated :  a  reaction 
being  easy  at  that  moment,  they  were  quite  disposed 
to  retaliate.  Had  "  Young  Italy  "  sounded  the  tocsin, 
the  cardinals  and  the  whole  of  the  domineering  caste 
would  hardly  have  escaped  from  total  destruction. 
The  late  pope  himself,  during  his  sickness,  anticipated 
this,  and,  in  order  to  provide  for  the  occurrence  of  a 
general  massacre,  made  a  new  bull  (which  was  found 
unfinished  among  his  papers),  empowering  the  sur- 
viving cardinals,  however  small  the  number  might  be, 
to  meet  in  a  place  of  safety,  no  matter  where,  and 
proceed  to  the  election  of  a  new  pope,  who  should  be 
recognized  as  his  legitimate  successor  as  entirely  as 
if  elected  in  Rome  by  a  full  number  of  cardinals. 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  307 

"  I  wonder,"  said  a  Belgian  artist,  a  particular  friend 
of  Mattia, — "I  wonder  that  'Young  Italy'  does  not 
take  the  present  occasion  of  the  weakness  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  the  excitement  of  the  people  to  make  a 
movement  in  favor  of  their  long-cherished  purpose  of 
overthrowing  the  papacy." 

"  I  know  but  little  of  their  plans,"  said  I ;  "  but  I 
am  told  that  '  Young  Italy '  does  not  like  the  ways  of 
blood.  The  members  of  that  society  have  constantly 
proved  that  they  are  ready  to  sacrifice  themselves  for 
the  triumph  of  their  cause,  but  they  have  never  desired 
to  slaughter  their  opponents,  —  a  measure  which  would 
endanger  rather  than  promote  the  moral  triumph  they 
look  for." 

"  I  do  not  pretend  to  know  your  secrets,"  replied 
the  Belgian.  "  I  am  a  foreigner,  and  know  that  in 
politics  you  are  the  most  exclusive  people  in  the 
world ;  but  it  is  a  secret  no  longer  that '  Young  Italy ' 
is  preparing  for  a  general  outbreak,  which  is  said  to 
be  at  hand.  I  do  not  ask  for  your  avowal,  but  I  take 
it  for  granted  that  you,  as  well  as  almost  all  of  the 
Roman  youth,  belong  to  that  society.  Perhaps  on  no 
future  occasion  would  a  popular  movement  cost  so 
few  victims  as  now ;  for  I  have  seen,  by  my  own  ex- 
perience in  my  native  country,  that  a  popular  tumult 
never  costs  a  tenth  part  of  the  number  of  victims  of 
a  war." 

"  That  maybe,"  said  I.  "  But  suppose  that  the  other 
parts  of  Italy  are  not  quite  ready  for  the  movement : 
in  this  case,  would  it  be  a  wise  course  to  encourage  a 
partial  movement  in  Rome  ?  But  let  us  leave  the 
care  of  it  to  those  who  have  the  great  responsibility 
of  leading  the  national  party.     What  do  you  think  of 


308  THE    ROMAN    EXILE 

a  walk  to  the  Quirinale,  where  we  shall  see  the  pro- 
cession of  the  cardinals  entering  the  conclave  ?  " 

"  Let  us  go,"  answered  the  Belgian.  "  It  is  a  new 
spectacle  for  me." 

It  was  about  two  hours  before  sunset,  on  the  13th 
of  June,  1846,  when  I  stood  with  my  Belgian  friend 
at  the  front  of  the  small  church  of  S.  Silvestro  on  the 
Quirinal  hill.  The  cardinals  arriyed  there  success- 
ively in  their  gala-carriages,  and  then  dismissed  them 
and  their  numerous  servants  and  attendants,  keeping 
only  a  secretary,  a  train-bearer,  a  chief  waiter,  and  a 
common  servant,  the  only  persons  whom  a  cardinal  is 
allowed  to  take  with  him  into  the  conclave.  Soon 
after,  having  sung  in  private  the  usual  hymn,  "  Yeni 
Creator  Spiritus,"  the  cardinals  came  out,  and  formed 
themselves  in  a  procession  directed  to  the  neighboring 
palace  of  the  Quirinale,  passing  through  two  deep 
ranks  of  soldiers.  The  Quirinale,  or  MontecavaUo,  is 
not  the  best  among  the  palaces  which  the  pope  pos- 
sesses in  Eome ;  but  its  healthy  location,  and  the  con- 
veniently distributed  apartments,  are  well  fitted  for 
the  reception  of  the  numerous  guests,  accustomed  to 
every  kind  of  comfort  and  luxury. 

The  procession  was  led  by  six  cardinals  of  the  order 
of  deacons ;  and  my  friend  inquired  if  they  were  inferior 
in  dignity  and  power  to  the  cardinals  following  them, 
of  the  order  of  priests,  who  formed  the  largest  number, 
or  to  those  who  came  last,  belonging  to  the  order  of 
bishops. 

^^  No,"  answered  I ;  ''  the  distinction  is  more  in  form 
than  in  substance,  and  has  been  kept  up  as  a  mark  of 
respect  to  the  ancient  institutions.  The  only  real  dif- 
ference among  them  is  that  a  cardinal  deacon,  though 
more   commonly   a   priest,   can  be   even   a   layman. 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  309 

Sometimes,  in  order  to  attract  to  his  cause  a  cadet  of  a 
princely  house,  or  a  great  scholar  who  is  a  layman  and 
does  not  wish  to  become  a  priest,  the  pope  will  confer 
upon  him  a  cardinalship,  and  then  he  belongs  to  the 
order  of  deacons,  if  he  chooses  to  dress  in  purple,  and 
take  no  wife.  Look,  for  instance,  at  that  second 
couple :  they  are  Mezzofanti  and  Mai,  both  famous 
philologists,  lately  made  cardinals  by  the  last  pope, — 
on  which  occasion  Pasquino  said  of  them  that  they 
were  so  devoted  to  knowledge  that  even  a  cardinaPs 
hat  could  not  turn  thejr  heads." 

"  I  have  heard  a  great  deal  of  them,"  observed  the 
Belgian ;  inquiring,  at  the  same  time,  "  Is  it  true  that 
Mezzofanti  can  speak  fluently  in  fifty-six  difierent  lan- 
guages, including  the  most  difficult  of  all  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  true,"  said  I ;  "  and  he  knows,  besides,  a 
great  many  dialects;  but,  in  all  other  branches  of 
learning,  he  does  not  rank  high.  Before  coming  to 
Rome,  at  the  request  of  the  pope,  he  had  never  passed 
out  of  the  gates  of  Bologna,  his  native  city,  and  of 
Rome  he  has  seen  only  a  few  churches  and  public 
libraries.  He  often  forgets  that  he  is  a  cardinal.  His 
companion,  Cardinal  Mai,  was  educated  by  the  Jesuits, 
and  was  for  some  years  a  Jesuit  himself;  but  he  after- 
wards fled  from  them,  and  became  a  decided  opponent 
of  their  order." 

"  Who,"  interrupted  the  Belgian,  "is  that  tall,  proud- 
looking  cardinal,  the  last  but  one  on  our  side?" 

"  He  is  Cardinal  Lambruschini,"  answered  I,  "  who 
for  many  years  was  the  premier  of  Gregory  XVI. 
No  other  cardinal  has  accumulated  so  much  public 
hatred  on  his  head,  and  so  much  public  money  in  his 
pocket.  He  feels  quite  sure  of  carrying  the  election 
for  himself,  because  the  greater  part  of  the  cardinals 


310  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

are  men  of  no  consequence,  and  are  entirely  indebted 
to  him  for  their  position.  I  think,  however,  that  his 
speculations,  and  his  reliance  on  the  gratitude  of  those 
debased  flatterers,  will  prove  a  failure.  But  look  at 
that  cardinal  who  comes  alone,  behind  him,  and  closes 
the  procession,  marching  fierce  and  proud  in  his  coarse 
capuchin's  dress  ! " 

"I  declare,"  said  the  Belgian,  '' that  he  has  a  very- 
fine  face  for  a  model-artist :  I  never  saw  a  more  im- 
pressive figure.     Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  He  is,"  answered  I,  "  the  Cardinal  Dean  Lodovico 
Micara.  His  pride  even  exceeds  that  of  Lambrus- 
chini,  his  bitterest  enemy.  Both  of  them  were  friars, 
and  Micara  still  lives  like  a  friar,  continually  declaiming 
against  the  luxury  of  his  colleagues,  and  especially  of 
Lambruschini,  who  makes  a  great  display  of  his  ill-got- 
ten riches.  Micara  also  feels  sure  of  being  elected 
pope,  because  no  one  else,  as  he  thinks,  deserves  that 
honor.  But  none  of  his  colleagues  can  bear  him,  on 
account  of  the  war  which,  by  words  and  example,  he 
has  uniformly  waged  against  the  luxury  of  the  papal 
court.  Besides,  from  time  to  time,  he  has  thrown 
out  some  hints  of  his  disposition  to  attempt  a  general 
reformation  of  the  external  habits  of  all  the  priest- 
hood. He  has  talent,  and  a  strong,  independent  mind ; 
but  all  his  good  qualities  are  spoiled  by  his  ambition." 

"  How  many  cardinals  do  you  suppose  have  passed 
before  us  ?  "  said  the  Belgian ;  and  I  told  him,  "  Fifty- 
one,  there  being  several  vacancies  in  the  complete 
number  of  seventy  cardinals  forming  the  electoral 
college,  and  the  foreign  cardinals  not  having  arrived 
in  Rome." 

"  How  many  foreign  cardinals  are  there  ?  " 

"  There  are  five  at  the  present  time ;  and  they  can- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  311 

not  exceed  the  number  of  ten  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  Christian  world,  because  sixty  at  least  among 
the  cardinals  must  be  natives  of  Italy.  Those  foreign 
cardinals,  if  present,  have  the  right  to  give  their  vote 
in  the  election,  but  they  cannot  be  voted  for,  since 
the  pope  must  be  a  native  of  Italy." 

We  stopped  at  the  principal  gate  of  the  immense 
palace  which  the  cardinals  had  entered,  and  there  we 
saw  the  rich  carriages  and  quaint  attire  of  the  foreign 
ambassadors,  and  all  the  foreign  and  native  dignitaries 
coming  to  visit  the  cardinals,  and  express  to  them  a 
complimentary  wish  for  a  good  result  in  the  election  ; 
for  there  is  always  a  great  reception  for  the  purpose 
of  augurare  il  papato,  on  the  evening  of  their  meet- 
ing, and  before  they  are  shut  up  in  the  conclave. 
Among  the  crowd  of  great  personages,  there  was  a 
man  who  attracted  to  himself  universal  attention  by 
his  personal  merits  and  by  his  particular  position,  —  I 
refer  to  Pellegrino  Rossi,  the  ambassador  of  France, 
who  in  the  name  of  the  diplomatic  body  spoke  to  the 
cardinals  true  and  severe  words,  and  gave  them  good 
counsels  for  a  better  administration  in  the  future. 

Pellegrino  Rossi  was  a  native  of  Italy.  The  pope 
had  deprived  him  of  the  professorship  of  political 
economy  in  the  university  of  Bologna,  and  sent  him 
into  exile :  now  he  came  back,  sheltered  by  the  invio- 
lable character  of  an  ambassador,  entitled  to  great 
respect  as  a  peer  of  France,  and  invested  with  full 
power  for  a  highly  important  mission.  There  was 
something  peculiar  in  the  position  of  that  great  states- 
man addressing  the  electors  of  the  pope.  He  had 
once  been  a  "rebellious  subject'^  and  an  exile,  branded 
as  a  wicked  man, — he  now  spoke  with  authority  to  his 
former  masters  in  their  own  palace,  and  told  them  that 


312  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

their  course  was  wrong  and  unwise ;  they  must  change 
it,  and  listen  to  the  complaints  of  their  oppressed  sub- 
jects. A  rigid  Calvinist,  also,  and  consequently  a  "  her- 
etic of  the  worst  kind/'  he  represented  the  "very 
Christian ''  King  of  France,  and  reminded  those  cor- 
rupt and  blood-thirsty  cardinals  of  the  pure  and  meek 
principles  of  the  gospel.  I  need  not  say  that  they 
were  incensed  and  made  more  obstinate  by  this  speech. 

As  soon  as  the  reception  was  over,  all  the  gates  of 
the  palace  were  shut  and  closely  guarded,  to  prevent 
any  communication  between  the  cardinals  and  their 
attendants,  locked  up  in  the  conclave,  and  all  other 
persons  abroad.  This  close  custody  devolves  upon  the 
marshal  of  the  conclave,  who  must  be  a  member  of 
the  princely  family  Chigi.  He  can  admit  new  cardi- 
nals coming  to  Rome  from  abroad,  but  he  cannot  let 
any  of  his  prisoners  out,  unless  some  one  of  them 
should  die, — for  he  is  not  responsible  for  the  corpses 
when  death  has  been  formally  ascertained. 

Though  there  are  many  kitchens  and  all  convenient 
accommodations  for  meals  in  that  immense  palace,  yet 
it  is  a  common  custom  for  each  cardinal  to  receive 
twice  a  day  meals  prepared  in  the  kitchen  of  his  own 
palace.  It  is  an  occasion  of  a  great  display  of  lux- 
ury, each  chief  cook  endeavoring  to  surpass  "the 
others  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  dishes. 
Besides,  such  are  the  quaint  ornaments  and  the  inde- 
cent conduct  of  the  drunken  servants  who  follow  the 
carriages  loaded  with  those  meals,  that  the  whole 
affair  gives  the  idea  only  of  bacchanal  orgies.  Should 
the  cardinals,  however,  remain  in  conclave  longer  than 
two  months  without  concluding  the  election,  the  mar- 
shal would  daily  diminish  the  quantity  of  the  luxuri- 
es r..-^  dishes. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

A   POPE   ELECTED   BY  MISTAKE. 

"  The  conclave  will  be  a  very  long  one  I "  Such 
was  the  general  anticipation  in  Rome,  because  it  was 
well  known  that  great  divisions  and  bitter  discord 
existed  among  the  cardinals.  Their  quarrellings  were 
a  source  of  amusement  to  the  Roman  people  during 
the  twelve  days  consecrated  to  the  funeral  rites  of 
the  late  pope ;  and  now  a  closer  contact,  and  a  direct 
conflict  of  interest  and  ambition,  would  exasperate 
still  further  their  bad  feelings.  The  old  cardinals, 
especially,  looked  angrily  upon  Cardinal  Lambruschini, 
and  held  in  contempt  the  young  cardinals  chosen  by 
him  from  among  prelates  of  no  merit  whatever,  in 
order  to  make  them  his  faithful  servants.  Cardinal 
Fieschi  put  himself  at  the  head  of  this  party,  and 
determined  to  prevent,  at  any  rate,  the  election  of 
Lambruschini.  It  was  easy  for  them  to  do  this,  be- 
cause they  were  in  number  -twenty-two,  that  is,  more 
than  a  third  part  of  all  the  voters,  and  the  election 
requires  the  votes  of  two-thirds  of  the  members. 

There  was  still  another  party,  less  numerous,  but 
equally  obstinate,  which  had  taken  into  their  heads  to 
prevent  the  election  of  any  one  who  was  a  friar.  They 
entered  into  the  views  of  Cardinal  Fieschi,  so  far  as 
Lambruschini  was  concerned,  because  the  latter  was 
27  («13) 


314  THE   BOMAN  EXILE. 

a  friar.  This  party  was  said  to  be  influenced  by  the 
Jesuits,  because  all  the  religious  orders  in  Rome  are 
opposed  to  them,  and  Clement  XIY.,  who  suppressed 
their  order,  was  a  friar. 

These  three  parties  would  have  had  to  struggle  for 
a  long  time  before  weariness  and  fatigue  could  induce 
either  of  them  to  yield.  Trepidation  and  fear,  how- 
ever, led  the  cardinals,  not  to  concord,  but  to  a  mis- 
take, which  resulted  in  the  election  of  the  new  pope. 

The  same  evening  in  which  the  cardinals  entered 
the  conclave,  and  during  the  reception  which  they 
held,  the  cardinal  "  great  penitentiary "  was  taken 
aside  by  a  mysterious  individual,  who  requested  him 
to  listen  to  his  confession,  and  who,  after  having  in 
this  way  secured  secrecy  about  his  person,  made  the 
following  statement : 

"A  conspiracy  has  been  formed  among  several 
young  men  of  this  city  to  blow  up  the  cardinals  all 
together,  and  they  have  prepared  a  mine  and  put  in 
the  gunpowder." 

Having  thus  spoken,  that  personage  retired  and  dis- 
appeared. Who  was  he  ?  How  did  he  know  of  the 
conspiracy?  Where  was  the  mine?  All  this  was  a 
mystery. 

The  minds  of  the  cardinals,  already  troubled  by  fear 
of  a  popular  movement,  were  now  filled  with  terror. 
In  vain  did  the  architects  of  the  conclave,  after  a  most 
diligent  search  of  the  palace,-  assure  the  cardinals  that 
there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  mine.  The  terror  of  the 
cardinals  did  not  give  way  even  after  a  new  examina- 
tion had  afforded  the  same  result. 

There  was  really  no  mine ;  the  conspiracy,  however, 
existed;  but,  not  having  found  encouragement  from 
the  chiefs  of  "  Young  Italy,"  the  conspirators  relin- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  315 

quished  the  project.  Had  they  not  done  so,  the  advice 
offered  by  the  unknown  personage  would  have  proved 
too  late,  as  it  was  not  in  that  palace  that  the  mine 
had  been  prepared. 

The  next  morning,  at  eight  o'clock,  I  went  with 
some  friends  to  see  la  Sfumata^  that  is,  the  smoke 
which  comes  out  from  a  pipe  fixed  in  the  exterior 
wall  of  the  chapel  of  the  conclave,  where  the  sched- 
ules used  for  voting  are  burned.  It  is  an  ancient 
custom  with  the  Romans  to  go  and  see  that  simple 
spectacle,  which  derives  all  its  attraction  from  the 
gathering  of  a  great  many  persons,  who  there  enjoy 
the  freest  intercourse.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing the  spectacle  is  renewed,  and  the  crowd  is  even 
greater  than  in  the  morning.  As,  on  these  occasions, 
every  one  gives  vent  to  his  whimsical  humor,  there  is 
usually  much  merriment  at  the  expense  of  the  "  pris- 
oners of  the  conclave." 

"  Why  do  they  burn  the  schedules  ?  "  inquired  one 
of  my  friends  who  was  but  little  acquainted  with  the 
quaint  customs  of  the  papal  court. 

"  Because,"  answered  I,  "  the  names  of  the  voters 
must  be  kept  incognito  when  the  voting  does  not  re- 
sult in  two-thirds  of  all  the  votes  cast  being  for  one 
candidate,  which  is  required  for  the  election." 

"  How  can  they  know  the  result  without  opening  the 
schedules  ?  " 

"  Each  voter,"  said  I,  "  has  at  hand  several  sched- 
ules folded  in  three,  and  bearing  his  signature  in  the 
interior  fold,  which  is  sealed.  When  desirous  of  de- 
positing his  vote  in  the  urn,  he  writes  in  the  second 
fold  the  name  of  the  cardinal  to  whom  he  intends  to 
give  his  vote ;  he  then  covers  it  with  the  third  fold, 
and  seals  it  again.     The  secretary  of  the  conclave, 


316  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

now  Monsignor  Corboli-Bussi,  brings  all  the  collected 
schedules  to  the  thrones  of  the  two  cardinals  appointed 
in  turn  to  examine  them.  They  break  only  the  exte- 
rior seal  when  the  result  is  not  favorable  to  the 
election.'^ 

"  Have  the  two  cardinals  examining  the  schedules  a 
throne  to  sit  upon  ?  " 

"  Every  cardinal  there  sits  upon  a  magnificent 
throne,  because  all  of  them  are  sovereigns  during 
the  vacancy  of  the  ^  Holy  See  ; '  but  those  seventy 
thrones  are  so  arranged  that,  by  pulling  a  rope  placed 
within  his  reach,  any  one  of  the  cardinals  can  make 
the  canopy  or  the  upper  part  of  his  throne  disappear ; 
for  this  must  be  done  as  soon  as  the  election  takes 
place." 

"  Look  here  !  "  interrupted  my  friend,  "  here  is  the 
smoke  coming  out." 

"  The  pope  has  gone  oflf  in  smoke,"  observed  a  by- 
stander. 

"  I  should  like,"  said  another,  evidently  a  carman, 
"  to  see  also  the  palace  and  its  contents  go  off  in 
smoke." 

"  Speak  low,  my  son,"  whispered  a  gray-headed  man 
of  the  same  trade,  "  for  the  proverb  says,  '  Intention 
does  not  break  fasting ; '  and  it  is  better  to  do  such 
things  than  to  talk  about  them." 

The  crowd  having  dispersed,  our  conversation  was 
quite  unrestrained,  for  the  Belgian  was  an  old  acquaint- 
ance and  a  very  reliable  friend. 

"  Who  do  you  think,"  inquired  he,  "  will  be  chosen 
pope  ?  " 

"It  is  very  difficult,"  answered  our  friend  Fabio, 
*^  to  foresee  the  result  of  the  battle  of  intrigues  which 
they  are  now  fighting  in  this  palace.     You  may  depend 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  317 

upon  it,  there  is  no  cardinal  so  poor  that  he  does 
not  earnestly  wish  to  be  the  elected  one,  and  think 
that  he  has  a  large  party  in  his  favor,  for  they  are  in 
the  habit  of  flattering  each  other.  Disappointment, 
however,  soon  defeats  the  ambitious  hopes  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  cardinals,  and  then  they  try  to 
negotiate  their  votes  in  the  best  manner  to  secure  for 
themselves  power,  riches,  or  influence  from  the  future 
pope.*' 

"  The  war  of  intrigues,  caused  by  personal  interest 
and  ambition,"  added  another  of  our  friends, "  is  made 
even  worse  by  the  interference  of  the  so-called  Cath- 
olic powers  of  Europe.  Each  of  them  has  in  Rome  a 
cardinal '  protector,'  who  receives  a  large  annual  sal- 
ary ;  and  besides  there  are  other  cardinals,  who,  by 
birth,  gratitude,  or  interest,  are  entirely  devoted  to 
them.  The  candidates  are  therefore  led  to  seek  for 
the  favor  of  this  or  that  foreign  ambassador,  who  will 
grant  it  or  not,  according  to  the  instructions  of  his 
court." 

"  I  suppose,"  interrupted  a  third  friend,  "  that  Car- 
dinal Gizzi  will  carry  the  election,  for  he  is  cunning, 
old,  and  in  bad  health,  and  the  French  ambassador 
backs  him." 

"I  do  not  believe  it  myself,"  answered  the  first 
speaker,  "  for  the  cardinals  are  so  incensed  against 
that  ambassador  that  I  feel  sure  his  candidate  will  not 
receive  a  single  vote  from  them ;  and  then  you  may 
depend  upon  it  that  there  would  be  the  ^  Esclusiva ' 
from  Austria,  because  that  cardinal  is  not  liked  in 
Vienna." 

'^  What  is  the  '  Esclusiva  ?  '  "  inquired  my  Belgian 
friend. 

"  It  is  the  right,"  said  I,  "  that  every  Catholic  nation 
27* 


318  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

claims  of  excluding  from  the  papacy  the  person  elected 
when  they  dislike  him.  This  right  can  be  used  only 
once  by  each  of  those  nations  during  a  conclave,  and 
the  exclusion  must  be  manifested  as  soon  as  the  elec- 
tion takes  place,  so  that  it  is  the  cardinal  protector 
who  is  commissioned  to  exercise  such  a  right,  accord- 
ing to  the  instructions  given  him  by  the  ambassador. 
Generally  they  manage  the  matter  in  a  very  skilful 
manner,  holding  the  sword  of  Damocles  in  mysterious 
suspense  over  many  heads,  and  using  it  to  augment 
the  influence  of  their  party." 

"  I  cannot  reconcile  the  existence  of  such  a  right," 
observed  the  Belgian,  "with  the  pretence  that  the 
election  is  made  by  the  cardinals  under  the  direct  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Why  should  France,  Aus- 
tria, Spain,  or  Portugal  interfere,  if  the  Holy  Ghost 
suggests  to  the  cardinals  the  election  of  a  good 
pope?" 

"  Be  not  afraid,"  answered  Fabio ;  "  there  is  no 
danger  that  they  will  elect  a  good  pope.  Some  days 
ago  I  was  passing  through  the  market  at  the  Rotonda, 
with  my  wife,  and  my  little  child,  who  took  it  into  his 
head  to  buy  one  of  the  little  wolves  which  a  poor 
shepherd  had  brought  into  the  market.  —  ^  Give  me  a 
good-natured  one,'  said  my  wife,  naturally  anxious  on 
fcccount  of  her  child. — 'They  are  all  wolves,'  answered 
ihe  honest  shepherd.  And  so  I  will  tell  you,  they  are 
all  cardinals ! " 

"I  suppose,"  said  the  Belgian,  "that  Austria  will 
use  all  her  influence  in  order  to  secure  the  election  of 
Cardinal  Gaysruck,  the  Archbishop  of  Milan,  who  is 
said  to  be  a  man  of  talent,  and  entirely  devoted  to 
her." 

"He  cannot  be  elected,"  answered  I,  "for  He  was 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  319 

born  in  Germany,  and  no  one  can  be  a  pope  but  a  na- 
tive of  Italy." 

"  Curious,  indeed  I "  exclaimed  the  Belgian.  "  They 
say  that  the  pope  is  the  head  of  the  Catholic  Church 
throughout  the  world:  on  what  ground,  then,  will 
they  deny  to  all  countries  but  Italy  the  privilege  of 
giving  a  pope  ?  Besides,  I  must  tell  you  that  the 
papal  prelates  whom  I  have  seen  in  my  native  coun- 
try, in  France,  and  elsewhere,  are  much  less  corrupt 
than  those  in  Rome,  and  in  other  parts  of  Italy.  Why, 
then,  should  they  exclude  from  the  papacy  the  prel- 
ates of  Belgium,  France,  Spain,  Austria,  Germany, 
America,  &c.?" 

"  I  will  explain  the  matter  to  you,"  said  I.  "  You 
must  know  that  when  the  theory  of  the  election  by 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost  had  no  restraint,  it  too 
often  happened  that  there  was  one  pope  from  France, 
another  •from  Germany,  a  third  from  Italy,  <fec.,  and 
those  several  popes  made  war  against  each  other,  each 
of  them  pretending  to  be  the  elected  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  One  of  them,  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  in  order 
to  secure  for  himself  and  his  successors  the  powerful 
protection  of  the  French  monarchs,  transported  the 
Holy  See  to  Avignon,  in  France,  and  thus  greatly  en- 
dangered its  reputation  of  being  a  Boman  chair.  But 
Catherine,  a  lady  from  Siena,  brought  back  that  chair 
to  Rome,  and  on  account  of  this  deed  she  has  been 
enrolled  among  the  saints.  But  afterwards  a  pope  of 
your  nation,  I  mean  Adriano  YI.,  took  it  into  his 
head  to  reform  the  luxury  and  abuses  of  his  court. 
The  cardinals  got  rid  of  him  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
then  they  passed  a  law  that  none  but  a  native  of  Italy 
should  be  pope.  This  was  wise  for  them,  because 
we    Italians    are    not    half-way    characters,  but    de- 


320  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

cidedly  good  or  bad ;  and,  having  once  entered  the 
slippery  way  of  hypocrisy  and  imposture,  we  easily 
go  to  the  bottom  of  the  pit.'' 

The  next  evening,  about  two  hours  after  sunset,  I 
was  with  my  friends  in  the  garden  of  the  large  coffee- 
house known  as  Caffe  JRuspoU ;  for,  after  the  death 
of  Gregory  XYI.,%o  one  ever  came  to  see  if  I  was 
at  home  from  sunset  to  sunrise,  according  to  the  pre- 
cept given  to  me  some  two  years  before.  A  gentle- 
man entered  and  announced  that  a  pope  had  been 
elected.  The  people  around  looked  astonished  and 
incredulous,  but  the  news  was  soon  after  confirmed. 
The  person  elected,  however,  was  not  known,  but  in  a 
few  moments  the  rumor  was  spread  that  Pasquale 
Gizzi  was  the  fortunate  cardinal.  The  report  turned 
out  to  be  false,  for  he  did  not  receive  even  one  vote. 
But  his  servants  immediately  believed  it,  and  went, 
with  the  servants  of  the  other  cardinals,  to  pillage  his 
rich  furniture,  according  to  an  ancient  custom,  which 
considers  it  a  simple  manifestation  of  joy. 

My  friends  and  myself  were  still  lingering  in  the 
coffee-house,  with  the  hope  of  getting  further  informa- 
tion, when,  at  eleven  o'clock,  our  friend  Fabio,  who 
had  gone  home  with  his  wife,  returned,  saying  that  he 
had  important  news.  "  I  met  in  the  Piazza  Colonna," 
said  he,  "  a  group  of  gentlemen  surrounding  a  priest 
whom  I  recognized  as  the  secretary  of  Cardinal  Fies- 
chi.  He  had  just  come  out  of  the  conclave,  and  was 
going  home  to  give  the  orders  of  his  master  for  the 
next  day.  I  joined  the  group,  and  we  urged  him  into 
the  coffee-house  Delia  Colonna,  where  he  willingly 
told  us  the  whole  history  of  this  sudden  election ;  for, 
you  know,  the  servants  and  attendants  of  cardinals 
are  very  communicative,  and  know  perfectly  well  all 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  321 

the  affairs  of  their  masters,  as  is  always  the  case  with 
the  favorite  servants  of  old  bachelors." 

"  Tell  us  the  history,"  we  all  cried  out,  impatiently  ; 
and  Fabio  said :  "  Terror  was  the  god  who  inspired  the 
election,  checked  the  ambitious  aspirations  of  the  car- 
dinals, and  made  them  feel  anxious  to  get  rid  of  their 
dangerous  business  as  soon  as  possible  ;  so  that  the 
old  foxes  gave  up  their  usual  tactics,  and  failed  in 
their  intrigues.  You  know  that  it  is  customary,  at 
the  beginning  of  a  conclave,  for  every  cardinal  to 
cast  his  vote  upon  some  iron-head,  in  order,  as  they 
say,  to  sound  each  other,  gain  time  for  their  intrigues, 
and  wait  for  the  foreign  cardinals,  not  yet  arrived  in 
Rome.  Well,  now  the  cardinals  forming  the  three 
different  parties  voted  directly  each  for  his  own  can- 
didate, and  endeavored  to  carry  the  election  at  the 
first  trial.  In  this  manner  they  showed  their  numbers 
and  their  strength. 

"  The  party  of  Lambruschini  proved  to  be  the  most 
numerous,  and  this  was  a  sufficient  attraction  for 
many  a  cardinal  to  join  it,  in  order  to  secure  those 
advantages  which  victory  bestows  upon  those  who 
have  contributed  to  it.  Cardinal  Fieschi,  the  decided 
opponent  of  Lambruschini,  became  alarmed,  and  feared 
that  some  desertions  would  take  place  even  from 
among  his  friends.  He  therefore  made  a  great  effort 
to  keep  them  closely  united,  and  directed  them  to 
vote  with  him  for  an  iron-head,  in  order  to  secure  the 
defeat  of  Lambruschini,  at  least,  in  the  next  casting, 
and  thus  gain  a  little  time  for  reflection.  The  iron- 
head  chosen  by  him  was  Cardinal  Mastai  Ferretti, 
whom  he  thought  to  have  no  claims  to  a  serious  vote. 

"  The  other  party  was  also  opposed  to  Lambruschini 
because  he  had  been  a  friar,  and  determined  therefore 


322  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

to  concentrate  their  formerly  scattered  votes  upon  an 
iron-head,  and  Cardinal  Mastai  Ferretti  was  the  per- 
son upon  whom  they  agreed,  not  being  at  all  aware 
that  he  had  been  selected  by  another  party  for  the 
same  purpose.  It  was  the  result  of  precipitation  and 
confusion  of  mind  in  both  these  two  parties  ;  but  the 
consequence  was,  that  thirty-six  votes  were  cast  upon 
that  iron-head,  which,  by  this  mistake,  became  the  pre- 
tended living  head  of  the  universal  Christian  Church. 

"  The  cardinals  were,  of  course,  astonished  and  dis- 
appointed by  this  event ;  but  what  could  they  do  ? 
The  election  was  made,  and  there  was  no  remedy. 
They  therefore  pulled  the  ropes  in  order  to  lower  the 
canopies  of  their  thrones,  and  went,  by  turns,  to  kneel 
before  the  throne  of  the  newly-elected  one,  thus,  as 
usual,  humbly  worshipping  him." 

This  history,  repeated  by  every  one,  was  subse- 
quently confirmed  by  the  statement  of  Cardinal  Fies- 
chi  himself,  when  he  afterwards  retired  in  disgust 
from  Rome,  to  live  quietly  and  securely  in  a  country- 
seat  near  Genoa,  where  he  is  still  waiting  for  a  new 
conclave. 


CHAPTER   XL. 

THE   PAPAL    AMNESTY. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  16th  June, 
1846,  the  large  Piazza  del  Quirinale  was  crowded  with 
about  fifty  thousand  people  of  all  classes,  gathered  to 
witness  the  solemn  promulgation  of  the  election  of 
the  pope,  which  had  taken  place  the  evening  before. 
This  ceremony  was  to  be  performed,  as  usual,  in  the 
large  marble  balcony  above  the  principal  gate  of  the 
palace.  The  door  leading  to  the  balcony  from  the 
interior  of  the  palace  had  been  walled  up  during  the 
conclave,  and  would  now  be  opened  with  great  solem- 
nity, as  the  Porta  Santa,  the  holy  door  of  St.  John, 
had  been  on  occasion  of  the  Jubilee.  Cardinal  Cam- 
erlengo,  holding  the  same  golden  hammer  with  which 
he  had  previously  ascertained  the  death  of  the  late 
pope,  now  struck  the  first  blow  against  the  wall, 
through  which  a  sufficient  aperture  was  soon  made. 

Cardinal  Camerlengo  first  advanced,  and  his  col- 
leagues, one  after  the  other,  filled  the  balcony,  —  the 
one  who  had  been  elected  standing  behind.  Cardinal 
Camerlengo,  with  a  loud  and  clear  voice,  announced 
the  election  in  the  usual  Latin  formula,  "  Annuntio 
vobis  gaudium  magnum :  habemus  Pontificem  Johan- 
nem  Mariam  Mastai-Ferretti,  a  Sinigallia,  qui  nomen 
assumpsit   Pius   Nonus."     That   is,  "I   announce   to 

(323) 


324  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

you  a  great  joy:  we  have  as  Pontiff  John  Maria 
Mastai-Ferretti,  from  Sinigallia,  who  has  assumed 
the  name  of  Pius  Ninth."  He  then  presented  to  the 
people  the  new  pope,  clad  in  pontifical  dress,  who 
came  forward,  and,  stretching  out  his  right  hand, 
with  the  two  first  fingers  extended,  made  the  sign  of 
the  cross  upon  the  people,  and,  turning  first  to  the 
east,  and  successively  to  the  north,  west,  and  south, 
imparted  his  blessing  in  the  same  manner  to  the  whole 
earth,  now  his  possession. 

The  Roman  people  did  not,  by  any  means,  feel  all 
the  "  great  joy  "  which  Cardinal  Camerlengo  had  oflGi- 
cially  announced.  In  general,  they  knew  nothing 
about  the  obscure  cardinal  just  elected;  but  he  was 
now  a  pope,  and  they  knew  too  well  what  popes  are. 
We  felt,  however,  that  we  were  now  the  masters, 
because  the  opportunity  to  organize  a  powerful  oppo- 
sition founded  upon  a  common  understanding  had  not 
been  lost  for  us.  Besides,  the  Swiss  troops  could  not 
be  relied  upon  by  the  new  pope,  in  a  conflict  with  the 
people;  at  least,  they  would  remain  neutral.  Pius  the 
Ninth  knew  his  bad  position  much  better  than  many 
of  the  cardinals,  for  his  family  and  relatives  belonged 
to  the  Liberal  party,  and  he  had  been  a  bishop  for 
eighteen  years,  performing  all  this  time  the  office  of  a 
secret  police,  which  generally  devolves  upon  the  bish- 
ops. Besides,  with  the  view  of  spying  out  their  plans, 
he  had  sometimes  held  intercourse  with  men  of  the 
so-called  moderate  party,  some  of  whom  believed  him 
to  be  an  honest  man. 

The  foreign  ambassadors  went  to  present  their  com- 
pliments to  the  new  pope,  and  he  took  occasion  to 
declare  that  he  was  disposed  to  give  an  amnesty  to 
political  offenders,  and  to  make  soma  reformation  in 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  325 

the  political  government  of  his  State,  expressing  his 
hope  that  the  people,  in  the  mean  time,  would  peace- 
fully wait  for  these  proofs  of  his  paternal  affection  for 
them.  So  saying,  he  shed  tears,  as  popes  are  in  the 
habit  of  doing,  and  deplored  the  wickedness  of  the 
times  in  which  he  was  called  to  reign. 

The  amnesty,  however,  did  not  appear  as  soon  as 
was  expected.  The  preceding  popes  had  published 
it  on  the  second  day  of  their  election,  on  occasion  of 
their  solemn  visit  to  the  church  of  St.  Peter;  but 
Pius  Ninth  published  nothing  at  that  time.  As  he 
passed  through  the  streets  he  saw  everywhere  ladies 
in  mourning,  waving  little  white  banners  which  had  on 
them  only  "  Amnistiu ;  '^  and  this  word  (amnesty) 
was  the  only  one  he  heard  from  the  congregated  peo- 
ple. "  Let  the  people  know  that  I  am  preparing  for 
it,"  said  he  to  an  officer  of  the  noble  guard  escorting 
his  carriage.  In  the  mean  time,  all  the  oppressive 
laws  of  his  predecessor  were  fully  maintained,  though 
neither  he  nor  anybody  else  thought  it  possible  to 
enforce  them  for  the  present.  Besides,  all  the  wicked 
agents  of  the  past  tyranny  preserved  their  offices,  and 
the  pope  enrolled  among  his  servants  all  the  corrupt 
courtiers  of  Gregory  XYI.,  comprising  the  famous 
favorite  Gaetanino. 

"  It  is  a  month  to-day  since  the  solemn  promulga- 
tion of  the  election  of  the  pope  took  place,  and  no 
amnesty  has  yet  appeared:  what  is  the  pope  wait- 
ing for  ?  "  This  was  the  general  remark  in  Rome  on 
the  16th  of  July,  1846 ;  and  many  began  to  think  that 
the  pope  might  have  absolved  himself  from  the  obli- 
gation of  keeping  his  solemn  promise,  for  popes  claim 
this  right  for  themselves,  as  well  as  give  it  to  those 
who  apply  to  them.  I  was  particularly  vexed  by  this 
28 


326  THE  ROMAN   EXILE. 

delay,  for  my  brother,  and  many  of  my  personal 
friends,  were  suffering  in  prison.  At  length,  a  little 
before  sunset  of  that  day,  an  edict  was  published,  and 
hung  up,  in  the  usual  manner,  at  the  corners  of  the 
principal  streets. 

At  that  time  I  was  crossing  the  Piazza  Colonna,  and 
my  attention  was  called  to  the  edict  by  a  group  of 
pei«ons  reading  it  aloud  at  the  corner  of  the  Corso. 
I"  started  at  first,  for  there  was  no  signature  of  any 
minister :  it  was  the  pope  himself  who  addressed  the 
people,  and  in  Italian  too.  This  was  an  attractive 
novelty ;  and  this  great  infraction  of  customs,  rigidly 
observed  for  ages  by  the  papal  court,  seemed  to  me  to 
have  much  significance.  Eagerly  perusing  the  edict, 
however,  I  was  greatly  disappointed.  It  was  only  a 
common  papal  amnesty,  that  is,  a  conditional  pardon 
for  those  classes  of  political  offenders  who  would  beg 
for  it,  acknowledge  their  crimes,  and  pledge  them- 
selves to  behave  for  the  future  in  a  praiseworthy  man- 
ner. 

Besides,  there  were  so  many  exceptions,  that,  if 
enforced,  very  few  of  the  political  offenders  pould 
have  obtained  pardon.  First  of  all  were  excluded 
from  it  those  political  offenders  who  belonged  to  the 
clergy,  or  were  guilty  of  some  offence  against  the 
established  religion.  Their  number  was  large,  and 
they  were  almost  all  persons  of  great  influence  in  the 
Liberal  party. 

Secondly,  were  excluded,  as  above,  all  who  had  been 
in  the  employment  of  the  government  or  of  any  pub- 
lic institution. 

Thirdly,  those  who  had  enjoyed  some  former  am- 
nesty. 

Finally,  those  who,  besides  their  political  offence. 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  327 

were  charged  with  some  common  crime.  This  last 
exception  comprehended  almost  the  whole,  for  there 
had  been  no  regular  trials.  The  political  culprits 
were  given  up  to  a  mihtary  commission,  to  be  con- 
demned at  any  rate,  and  those  executioners  charged 
their  defenceless  victims  with  as  many  crimes  as  they 
chose. 

It  had  been  formerly  agreed  between  my  friends 
and  myself  that,  on  the  publication  of  the  amnesty, 
we  should  meet  at  the  public  garden  near  the  Coli- 
seum, and  there  I  accordingly  went.  We  had  nothing 
to  discuss,  as  our  plan  had  been  arranged  beforehand ; 
but  orders  were  taken  for  its  execution,  and  the  hour 
and  place  were  fixed  for  a  general  meeting  to  be  held 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  Piazza  del  Popolo. 

Leaving  the  garden,  I  crossed  the  Coliseum,  arm-in- 
arm with  my  friend  Fabio,  both  of  us  eagerly  talking 
of  the  matter  we  had  in  hand.  We  met  our  common 
friend,  the  Belgian  artist,  who  always  took  a  warm 
interest  in  our  welfare.  He  had  a  copy  of  the  papal 
edict,  and  was  meditating  upon  it. 

"  The  pope  seems  to  trifle  with  you,"  exclaimed  he 
as  soon  as  he  discovered  us  near  him. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? ''  said  Fabio.  "  Has  he  not 
given  such  an  amnesty  as  was  to  be  expected  from  a 
pope  ? " 

"  Indeed  ! "  replied  the  Belgian ;  "  but  instead  of  a 
frank  amnesty  intended  to  repair  past  wrongs,  you 
have  only  a  miserable  pardon.'' 

"  That  is  true,"  observed  I ;  "  but  it  will  be  our 
business  to  make  it  good  for  something." 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  immense  Piazza 
del  Popolo  and  the  three  beautiful  streets  leading  to 
it  were  crowded  with  busy  people,  all  engaged  in  mak- 


328  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

ing  a  "  great  demonstration,"  for  which  secret  prepar- 
ations had  been  going  on  for  some  days  previously. 
Numberless  beautiful  banners  and  large  torches  were 
carried  by  fine-looking  young  men,  while  beautiful 
young  ladies  and  girls  in  white  bore  myrtle  crowns 
and  green  olive-tree  branches.  Ladies  and  gentlemen, 
as  well  as  noblemen,  merchants,  artists,  professional 
men,  and  tradespeople,  mingled  together  in  the  most 
unrestrained  manner,  and  showed  a  frank  and  sincere 
union  of  wishes  and  feelings.  Five  bands  of  music 
were  in  attendance,  playing  joyful  and  patriotic  airs, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  papal  soldiers  were  present, 
carrying  torches  and  green  branches  instead  of  hom- 
icidal arms. 

All  the  streets  and  squares  of  the  city  were  splen- 
didly illuminated  by  means  of  lamps  at  the  windows, 
and  here  and  there  were  fine  decorations,  transparent 
inscriptions,  green  branches,  and  beautiful  flowers. 
The  houses  of  those  directly  participating  in  the  ben- 
efit of  the  amnesty  were  marked  by  a  greater  show 
of  joy ;  and,  on  passing  my  house,  now  in  Yia  Giulia, 
I  could  not  help  admiring  the  good  taste  displayed 
by  my  sister  on  that  occasion. 

There  had  been,  of  course,  no  time  for  giving  the 
orders  to  liberate  the  prisoners.  Nay,  to  make  a 
selection  among  them,  accferding  to  the  exceptions 
made  by  the  edict  of  amnesty,  was  a  work  which 
required  much  time  and  investigation.  The  formality 
itself  of  making  a  demand  for  pardon,  and  of  subscrib- 
ing an  obligation  to  be  worthy  of  it  by  good  political 
behavior,  involved  a  great  loss  of  time.  But  we 
wanted  to  have  our  friends  come  out  immediately, 
and  not  only  some,  but  all  of  them.  This  was  our 
main   object  in  thus  forming   ourselves  into  such  a 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  329 

splendid  procession.  Resistance,  if  attempted,  would 
have  been  impossible ;  but  no  one  dared  to  interfere 
with  such  a  large  crowd,  vehemently  shouting,  "  Viva 
Pio  Nono  ! ''  (Long  live  Pius  the  Ninth.) 

This  cry,  with  the  same  demonstrations  of  joy, 
was  simultaneously  repeated  throughout  the  State, 
showing  a  previous  agreement,  for  the  edict  was  made 
known  in  Rome  after  the  departure  of  the  mail. 
There  was  nothing  personal  to  the  pope  in  that  cry ; 
it  was  the  pass-word  of  a  revolution  then  taking  its 
full  course.  In  fact,  the  greater  part  of  the  prisoners 
were  set  free  against  the  will  of  Pio  Nono,  and  with 
an  open  disregard  of  existing  laws  and  regulations. 
Besides,  they  were  not  liberated  like  pardoned  cul- 
prits, —  nay,  they  were  rescued  like  self-sacrificing  fel- 
low-soldiers, whose  endurance  had  secured  the  victory. 
They  were  therefore  carried  in  triumph. 

It  was  indeed  a  triumph.  The  late  pope  had  ex- 
hausted the  most  cruel  and  wicked  means  of  oppres- 
sion, without  succeeding  in  his  attempt  to  subdue  the 
rebellious  spirit  of  the  people.  The  system  of  terror 
which  had  been  carried  on  during  his  life  suffered  a 
momentary  suspension  at  his  death,  and  thus  it  was 
lost,  and  lost  forever,  when  the  new  pope  found  him- 
self obliged  to  yield  to  the  popular  pressure, —  for 
such  is  the  nature  of  oppression  that  the  first  stop,  or 
the  least  backward  step,  will  render  impossible  its 
prosecution,  at  least  under  the  same  circumstances. 
A  return,  therefore,  to  the  tyranny  of  Gregory  XYI. 
was  impossible  for  Pius  Ninth,  without  the  assistance 
of  a  large  foreign  army,  which  was  not  easy  to  be  had 
on  account  of*  the  generally  troubled  condition  of 
Europe. 

It  was  too  evident,  besides,  that  a  movement  which 
28* 


330  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

began  with  victory,  and  found  no  serious  obstacle, 
would  not  stop  satisfied  with  an  amnesty.  The 
wretched  condition  of  the  State  required  radical  ref- 
ormation, both  in  religion  and  politics.  If  the  pope 
resisted  it  he  would  be  lost  immediately,  and  if  he 
yielded  to  the  movement  he  would  be  carried  too  far, 
and  overthrown  by  it,  because  it  was  guided  by  the 
principles  of  "  Young  Italy."  The  pope,  I  am  sure, 
understood  this  quite  well,  and,  being  a  man  of  no 
energy  or  courage,  was  unable  to  form  a  plan  of  re- 
sistance ;  but,  relying  on  a  favorable  change  in  Europe, 
he  thought  it  the  safest  way  to  yield  reluctantly  and 
as  little  as  possible. 

I  remember  quite  well  that,  when  the  procession, 
which  formed  in  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  reached  the 
gates  of  the  palace  of  the  Quirinale,  constantly  cry- 
ing out,  "  Yiva  Pio  Nono ! "  he  yielded  with  diffi- 
culty to  the  counsel  to  show  himself  to  the  people 
from  the  large  balcony,  and  then  he  looked  dreadfully 
frightened.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  was  unable  to  go 
on.  He  was  evidently  in  a  state  of  great  emotion, 
caused  by  fear  and  apprehension  of  future  storms. 
He  could  not  trust  the  devotion  of  a  people  engaged 
in  disregarding  his  laws,  and  knew  that  those  who 
cried  "  Long  life  "  to-day  would  be  equally  ready  to 
cry  "  Death  "  to-morrow. 

The  people  throughout  the  State  did  not,  I  am  sure, 
care  for  the  pope,  and  the  events  which  followed 
proved  this.  In  the  name  of  the  pope,  indeed,  they 
enjoyed  the  present  change;  but  they  were  ready 
to  go  on  without  him,  and  even  against  him,  in  order 
to  obtain  that  full  liberty  and  independence  which 
they  held  steadily  in  view. 

Now  the  greatest  attraction  was  the  Hberated  pris- 


THE  ROMAN   EXILE.  331 

oners,  and  deep  interest  in  them  was  felt  by  every- 
one. When  taken  from  their  cells  and  brought  to 
the  light  among  the  large  crowd  of  their  friends  and 
relatives,  they  looked  astonished  and  bewildered,  as 
if  suspecting  that  their  triumph  was  but  a  dream. 
Many  of  them  were  entirely  disabled  and  worn  out 
by  ill  treatment,  and  some  were  brought,  blindfolded, 
upon  chairs,  because  the  slightest  movement  and  the 
light  would  have  injured  them.  I  saw  among  them  in 
Rome  a  venerable  old  gentleman  carried  by  four  of  his 
sons,  all  full-grown  men,  formerly  his  fellow-prisoners. 
A  ray  of  joy  animated  his  dying  face,  and  his  heart 
was  overwhelmed  with  happiness  at  the  imposing  sight 
of  the  Roman  people  once  more  free,  and  evidently 
determined  to  maintain  their  freedom.  Excess  of  joy 
terminated  in  a  few  days  his  already  worn-out  life. 
His  last  words  were,  "  Never  trust  a  pope." 

I  did  not  see  my  brother  when  he  came  out  from 
prison,  for  he  was  in  Rimini.  My  mother  had  been 
waiting  there  for  the  amnesty  ever  since  she  had  heard 
of  the  election  of  the  new  pope.  "  They  brought  him 
to  my  arms,"  she  wrote  to  me,  "  because  he  could  not 
walk  at  all,  or  even  change  his  sitting  position.  The 
dampness  of  his  dungeon  deprived  him  of  the  use  of 
his  limbs,  and  want  of  air  and  light  made  him  look 
pale  as  death.  His  sparkling  black  eyes  were  shut, 
because  he  could  not  bear  the  light.  I  need  not  say 
what  I  felt  at  this  sight.  But  he  was  in  excellent 
spirits,  and  bade  me  be  of  good  cheer,  as  he  would 
recover  in  a  few  days.  So  thinks,  too,  our  friend,  Dr. 
Michele.  But  I  feel  that  I  am  not  able  to  hope  for 
the  best,  for  I  have  a  sad  presentiment.  I  have  seen 
the  amnesties  of  five  popes  during  my  life,  and  know 
how  much  to  rely  upon  them." 


332  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

Among  the  prisoners  wlio  were  liberated,  in  spite 
of  the  exceptions  made  by  the  pope,  was  the  famous 
monk  Ugo  Bassi,  who,  three  years  after,  was  slaugh- 
tered in  Bologna  by  Monsignor  Bedini.  He  was  now 
in  a  "  vade  in  pacem  "  of  a  convent  in  Sanseverino,  a 
town  near  Ancona  ;  and  he  was  doubly  excluded  from 
the  amnesty  because  he  belonged  to  the  clergy,  and  it 
was  for  his  religious  opinions  that  he  had  been  impris- 
oned for  life.  He  belonged  also  to  "  Young  Italy,'' 
but  that  had  not  been  discovered.  This  eloquent  and 
pious  man  was  of  great  service  to  us,  till  he  fell  a 
martyr  to  our  cause. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

THE  LAST  OF  THE  POPES  OF  ROME. 

"Pius  the  Ninth  will  be  the  last  of  the  popes." 
This  prophecy  was  made  by  an  unknown  and  very  old 
man,  who  died  in  a  hospital  in  Eome,  a  few  days  after 
the  promulgation  of  the  amnesty.  He  was  generally 
believed  to  be  crazy,  for  he  could  not,  or  he  would 
not,  tell  his  name  or  condition ;  but  I  suspect  him  to 
have  been  a  foresighted  man.  I  do  not  mean  to  say, 
that  France  and  England,  allied  and  supported  in  this 
matter  by  Austria,  may  not,  when  the  death  of  their 
protege  shall  happen,  be  able  to  put  in  his  place  a 
puppet  of  their  own  manufacture,  who  may  represent 
the  principle  of  absolute  authority  for  which  they  are 
struggling ;  but  he  will  not  be  a  pope. 

Papacy  is  finished.  This  dreadful  institution  of  the 
middle  ages  was  undermined  by  the  restoration  of  the 
arts  and  sciences,  and  wounded  to  the  heart  by  the 
Reformation ;  but  the  fatal  blow  must  be  struck  at  the 
head  in  Italy,  and  in  Rome  itself.  This  was  the  work 
of  the  last  revolution ;  and  the  abuse  of  mere  brutal 
power  cannot  undo  that  work  by  imposing  a  hated 
tyrant  upon  the  Roman  people,  —  nay,  it  was  the  best 
means  of  killing  forever  an  institution  designed  to 
rely  altogether  on  moral  force. 

From  this  point  of  view,  I  looked  with  peculiar 

(333) 


334  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

interest  on  Pius  the  Ninth,  and  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  he  possessed  the  quaHties,  and  was  placed  in  the 
condition,  of  a  man  with  whom  a  decrepit  institution 
must  die ;  for  I  have  observed  that  all  human  institu- 
tions which  have  had  a  period  of  greatness  in  the 
world  have  come  to  an  end  in  the  hands  of  men 
neither  very  good  nor  very  bad,  who,  placed  in  a 
difficult  position  and  unable  even  to  understand  it, 
went  down  with  them  into  the  mud. 

I  often  spoke  on  these  topics  to  my  friends,  and 
even  to  many  acquaintances,  as  there  was  no  danger 
now  in  freely  expressing  our  opinions.  The  laws, 
indeed,  were  not  changed  or  repealed,  for  the  Inquisi- 
tion and  the  Jesuits  retained  all  their  former  privileges 
and  authority,  but  the  power  of  enforcing  these  laws 
was  in  fact  entirely  annihilated  in  the  hands  of  the 
pope  and  his  caste. 

'''■  Did  you  know  him  before  his  election  ?  "  inquired 
my  Belgian  friend  one  evening,  as  we  sat  in  a  social 
circle  at  the  newly-established  club  called  "Circolo 
Romano." 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  answered  I,  "  and  I  spoke  to  him  on 
two  occasions.  First,  when  I  went  to  Bologna,  at  the 
end  of  October,  1838, 1  had  a  package  of  papers  from 
his  nephew  Luigi  Mastai-Ferretti,  to  be  handed  to  him 
as  I  passed  through  Imola,  where  he  was  bishop.  I 
remember  that  the  papers  concerned  a  lawsuit,  which 
is  still  unsettled  between  the  family  Mastai-Ferretti 
and  their  fellow-citizens  Consolini,  who  sued  them  for 
an  alleged  violent  spoliation  perpetrated  against  them- 
selves by  the  father  of  Pius  IX.,  during  a  popular  move- 
ment ;  for  the  Mastai-Ferretti  belonged  to  the  Liberal 
party,  and  the  Consolini  were  government  men.  Mon- 
signor  Mastai-Ferretti,  who  was  not  yet  a  cardinal, 


THE  EOMAN  EXILE.  335 

received  me  with  marked  politeness,  and  spoke  of  his 
father,  and  of  the  unjustice  of  that  lawsuit.  In  that 
short  interview,  I  could  easily  perceive  that  between 
him  and  his  family  there  were  no  good  feelings.  In 
fact,  his  nephew,  who  was  in  Rome  to  attend  to  that 
suit,  and  was  himself  a  lawyer,  afterwards  told  me 
that  his  uncle  was  a  selfish  man;  in  short,  ^ a  true 
priest.' " 

"  His  brother,  Joseph  Mastai-Ferretti,"  interrupted 
our  friend  Marco,  '*  had  the  same  opinion  of  him ;  and, 
when  he  was  informed  of  his  election,  he  exclaimed, 
*  We  shall  have  a  bad  pope,'  and  declined  to  take  any 
office  from  him,  or  even  to  live  in  Rome." 

"  The  same  course  was  adopted,"  observed  Fabio, 
"  by  his  second  brother,  Gabriel  Mastai-Ferretti,  and 
also  by  his  cousin,  Peter  Ferretti,  a  well-known  scholar 
and  statesman.  Both  went  to  see  him  when  they 
came  back  from  exile ;  but  neither  of  them  could  be 
prevailed  on  to  take  any  part  in  the  public  administra- 
tion, or  to  act  as  counsellors." 

"  There  has  been  so  much  talk  about  this  pope  and 
his  family,"  said  the  Belgian  to  me,  "  and  I  have  heard 
so  many  contradictory  statements,  that  I  should  like 
to  have  you  give  me  an  exact  account  of  them." 

"  Willingly,"  answered  I.  "  The  Mastai-Ferretti  are 
an  ancient  family,  who  have  always  lived  in  the  pretty 
little  city  of  Sinigallia,  on  the  shore  of  the  Adriatic 
Sea,  between  Rimini  aftd  Ancona.  They  possess  there 
some  property,  from  which  they  have  an  annual  rent 
of  about  five  thousand  dollars,  —  quite  a  large  sum 
for  that  city,  where  living  is  remarkably  cheap.  They 
have  therefore  been  long  ago  enrolled  among  the 
noble  families  of  the  city,  and  a  pope  bestowed  upon 
them  the  title  of  conti  (count)." 


336  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

"I  could  never  well  understand,"  interrupted  the 
Belgian,  "  what  it  is  to  be  a  nobleman,  a  count,  <fec., 
among  you." 

"  We  have,"  answered  I,  "  no  true  aristocracy,  and 
no  real  distinction  of  classes,  with  different  privileges, 
or  belonging  to  different  races.  In  Italy  we  are  all 
Italians,  and  none  of  us  would  boast  of  his  descent 
from  some  barbarian  conqueror.  During  the  middle 
ages  the  Italian  nobility  were  a  political  party,  not  a 
class,  but  now  they  are  not  even  a  party,  because, 
under  the  common  oppression,  we  have  naturally  made 
a  common  party.  Generally,  the  very  ancient  fami- 
lies, whose  names  and  memories  are  preserved  in  the 
public  archives,  belong  to  nobility.  But  every  family, 
having  a  considerable  fortune  and  living  in  a  good 
style,  can  apply  to  be  enrolled  among  the  noble  fami- 
lies of  its  city.  Occasionally,  the  government  will 
confer  the  title  of  prince,  baron,  marquis,  count,  or 
knight,  on  a  noble  family ;  but  this  confers  no  privi- 
leges on  that  family,  and  is  a  merely  nominal  distinc- 
tion. For  instance,  Grazioli,  who  thirty  years  ago 
was  a  poor  baker,  is  now  a  nobleman  and  a  baron,  for 
he  has  acquired  a  large  fortune. 

"The  family  Mastai-Ferretti,  then,  as  I  said,  was 
noble,  and,  what  is  more  important,  they  were  honest 
people.  The  father  of  the  present  pope  was  an  ener- 
getic revolutionist,  and  so  is  his  eldest  son,  just  re- 
turned from  exile.  If  John  Maria,  now  Pius  Ninth, 
had  been  the  only  or  the  eldest  son,  he  would  have 
quietly  grown  up  under  the  paternal  roof,  then  mar- 
ried a  lady  of  his  own  condition,  and  lived  idly  and 
happily,  without  either  infamy  or  glory.  Unfortu- 
nately, however,  he  was  the  youngest  of  four  broth- 
ers, and  was  therefore  under  the  necessity  of  exerting 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  337 

himself  to  obtain  an  independent  position  in  the 
world  ;  for  the  rents  of  his  family  were  scarcely  able 
to  support  the  usual  style  of  living,  especially  since 
the  eldest  son  had  brought  in  a  wife  and  children. 

"  The  old  gentleman,  Count  Mastai-Ferreti,  was  op- 
posed to  the  monastic  life,  and,  instead  of  alluring  his 
younger  children  into  convents  or  to  the  priesthood, 
he  thought  of  giving  them  a  scientific  education,  and 
of  making  them  useful  to  themselves,  as  well  as  to 
their  country.  But  he  found  his  youngest  son  both 
unable  and  unwilling  to  second  his  paternal  care,  for 
his  understanding  was  small,  and  his  disposition  to 
study  even  smaller.  It  was,  therefore,  found  impos- 
sible for  John  Maria  to  go  through  a  regular  course 
of  elementary  studies  Avith  success.  The  Latin  lan- 
guage, in  particular,  was  the  object  of  his  decided 
aversion.  This  closed  to  him  the  regular  way  to  the 
university,  and,  consequently,  to  every  scientific  or 
professional  career. 

^'  Besides,  John  Maria  early  showed  his  inclination 
to  a  disorderly  life,  and  his  parents  were  unable  to 
restrain  him.  Consequently,  he  was  still  a  youth 
when  they  engaged  him  in  the  military  service  of  the 
pope,  which  is  generally  resorted  to  as  a  kind  of  pun- 
ishment for  crazy  or  dissipated  young  men,  who  are 
unable  to  do  anything  better  than  to  put  on  a  con- 
temptible livery ;  for  the  condition  of  a  soldier,  under 
the  dominion  of  the  priesthood  of  Rome,  is  a  very 
base  one.  You  know  that  the  grossest  insult  to  a 
soldier  in  Europe  is  to  call  him  ^  a  pope's  soldier,'  for 
it  means  a  coward  in  military  disguise,  and  a  person 
good  for  nothing  but  to  parade  in  the  churches.  As 
a  nobleman,  however,  John  Maria  was  privileged  with 
admission  into  a  special  corps  of  Hght  horsemen, 
29 


338  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

called  Cavalleggeri,  whose  peculiar  duty  was  that  of 
escorting  the  carriage  of  the  pope. 

"  In  Rome  John  Maria  was  admitted  into  fashion- 
able society,  and  thus  improved  his  manners,  and  ac- 
quired a  certain  brilliancy  of  speech,  but  his  moral 
conduct  grew  worse." 

"  What  do  you  think,"  interrupted  the  Belgian,  "  of 
the  story  which  has  been  circulated  about  his  love  for 
Clara  Colonna  ?  " 

"  I  think,"  answered  I,  "  that  it  is  perfectly  true  he 
fell  in  love  with  that  lady,  then  a  girl  of  great  beauty 
and  accomplishments,  though  a  natural  daughter;  but, 
being  a  low-minded  fellow,  and  enslaved  by  base  pas- 
sions, he  could  never  succeed  in  winning  her  gentle 
heart ;  and  then  he  had  no  fair  prospect  for  his  future 
career.  The  refusal,  however,  which  his  advances 
met  from  that  virtuous  young  lady,  was  bitterly  felt 
by  John  Maria,  and  he  tried  to  drown  his  grief  in 
amusements. 

"  It  was  at  this  time,  and  probably  in  consequence 
of  his  disappointment,  that  John  Maria  deserted  his 
place,  and  went  to  Naples,  to  follow  Madame  Morandi, 
a  famous  actress  at  that  time.  In  Naples  he  soon 
consumed  his  little  property,  experienced  new  disap- 
pointments, and  ruined  his  health  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  returned  to  Rome  in  a  miserable  state, 
and  found  that  Clara  Colonna  had  been  married,  during 
his  absence,  to  a  young  gentleman  fully  worthy  of 
her.  Besides,  the  Cavalleggeri  had  been  disbanded, 
because  the  pope  wanted  to  have  ^  noble  guards  '  in- 
stead of  them. 

"  John  Maria  applied  to  Prince  Barberini,  who  held 
the  commission  of  enrolling  the  '  noble  guards,'  but 
he   was   refused  admittance  on  account  of  his  sick- 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  339 

ness,  which  disabled  him  from  riding  on  horseback, 
and  also  on  account  of  his  former  want  of  discipline ; 
so  that,  being  at  once  deprived  of  his  employment, 
disappointed  in  love,  and  dreadfully  sick,  John  Maria 
was  almost  in  despair. 

"  In  this  state  of  distress,  however,  he  managed  to 
present  himself  to  the  pope,  and  ask  for  help.  Pius 
the  Seventh,  then  very  old,  was  moved  by  the  dejection 
both  of  mind  and  body  which  the  young  man  artlessly 
exhibited,  and  he  said  to  him, '  Repent  of  your  sins, 
and  make  yourself  a  priest,  and  God  will  bless  you.' 

"  These  simple  words  produced  an  entire  change  in 
the  mind  of  our  John  Maria.  He  immediately  devoted 
himself  to  religion, —  that  is,  to  those  external  acts  of 
devotion  which  constitute  a  bigoted  fanatic.  In  the 
mean  time.  Abbot  Graziosi,  a  learned  and  liberal  priest, 
gave  him  some  preparatory  lessons  in  theology,  and, 
as  soon  as  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
he  was  ordained  a  priest,  though  he  had  only  a  few 
and  very  imperfect  ideas  of  the  ministry.  Even  after 
his  conversion  he  was  unable  to  devote  his  mind  to 
study,  and  preferred  to  exert  himself  in  acts  of  devo- 
tion and  charity.  He  was,  for  instance,  assiduous  at 
the  institution  called  Tata  Giovanni,  where  vagrant 
and  abandoned  children  are  sheltered  and  furnished 
with  employment. 

"Now,  Abbot  Mastai-Ferretti  determined  to  go 
abroad  as  a  missionary,  and  Abbot  Pecci,  who  with 
some  companions  was  setting  out  for  missionary  pur- 
poses to  Chili,  in  South  America,  made  him  one  of 
the  party.  Abbot  Mastai-Ferretti,  though  little  ac- 
quainted with  the  Spanish  language  spoken  in  that 
country,  met  with  success  among  the  Creoles,  on 
account  of  his  earnest  manners  and  violent  gestures, 


340  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

and  the  less  they  understood  him,  the  more  did  they 
admire  him. 

"  On  his  return  to  Rome,  Abbot  Mastai-Ferretti  was 
made  a  canon  of  the  church  of  '  Santa  Maria  in  Via 
Lata,'  and  afterwards  Pope  Leo  the  Twelfth  conferred 
on  him  the  bishopric  of  Spoleto,  a  very  ancient  city 
eighty  miles  north  of  Rome.  This  office,  however, 
was  but  little  acceptable." 

"  I  knew  him  when  he  was  there,"  interrupted  Fa- 
bio,  "and  I  had  a  fine  occasion  of  proving  his 
deceitful  character  at  my  own  expense.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  year  1831,  when  there  was  a  revolution  in  the 
northern  provinces,  and  when,  with  a  large  body  of 
the  revolutionists,  I  retired  towards  Rome,  closely  fol- 
lowed by  the  Austrian  invaders.  Our  plan  was  to 
reach  Rome  before  them,  and  there  excite  again  the 
revolution,  scarcely  quelled,  in  order  to  unite  our 
forces  and  fight  a  desperate  battle.  If  conquered,  we 
should  still  have  had  a  retreat  by  sea;  but,  in  this 
case,  many  of  our  little  army  had  sworn  not  to  leave 
a  living  priest  in  Rome. 

"  The  pope  had  no  material  force  to  stop  or  retard 
our  rapid  march ;  and,  when  we  reached  Spoleto,  the 
Austrians  were  more  than  fifty  miles  behind  us.  The 
Bishop  of  Spoleto,  Monsignor  Mastai-Ferretti,  and  his 
cousin,  Joseph  Ferretti,  the  Bishop  of  Rieti,  received 
from  the  pope  a  large  amount  of  money,  and  an  order 
to  try  every  means  to  retard,  at  least,  our  march.  The 
Bishop  of  Rieti  thought  of  organizing  a  forcible  re- 
sistance, by  taking  up  arms  himself,  and  making  a 
fanatical  appeal  to  the  wicked  sectarians  called  '  Sanfe- 
disti.'  But  the  Bishop  of  Spoleto,  Mastai-Ferretti, 
took  a  safer  and  more  efficient  course.  He  used  the 
money  to  corrupt  one  Sercognani,  an  adventurer,  who 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  341 

was,  unfortunately,  our  leader.  This  traitor  led  us 
astray,  and  afterwards  brought  us  back  to  Spoleto 
and  fled. 

"  The  Bishop  of  Spoleto,  that  is,  the  present  pope, 
then  came  to  us,  and,  pretending  to  be  moved  only 
by  a  Christian  spirit,  warned  us  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  for  us  to  reach  Rome  before  the  Austrians, 
and  that  the  best  we  could  do  was  to  put  our  arms 
into  his  hands,  and  accept  the  pardon  which  he  was 
authorized  by  the  pope  to  offer  us.  We  believed  hkn, 
but  none  of  us  escaped  punishment.  I,  too,  though 
very  young  and  a  simple  soldier,  met  with  long  impris- 
onment. 

"  It  was  probably  for  this  service  that  he  was  pro- 
moted, soon  after,  to  the  bishopric  of  Imola,  which  is 
exceedingly  rich,  and  is  generally  given  to  a  cardinal, 
or  to  a  prelate  destined  to  become  a  cardinal.  In  fact, 
some  years  after,  both  he  and  his  cousin,  the  Bishop 
of  Rieti,  were  made  cardinals,  though  they  had  no 
claims  to  that  dignity. 

"I  have  occasionally  spoken  of  him,'^  concluded 
Fabio,  "  to  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Spoleto,  and 
have  found  that  no  one  could  bear  him  when  he  was 
there." 

"  The  same,"  added  I,  "  is  the  case  with  the  inhab- 
itants of  Imola.  Nay,  they  hated  him  so  much  that 
the  announcement  of  his  election  was  received  in 
Imola  by  the  most  energetic  demonstrations  of  dis- 
content. This  happened,  too,  even  in  Sinigallia,  his 
native  place." 

"Do  you  mean,  then,"  inquired  the  Belgian,  "  that 
Pius  the  Ninth  is  really  a  bad  man,  and  an  object  of 
dislike  to  all  who  know  him  well  ?  " 

"  I  believe  him  to  be  neither  good  nor  bad,"  said 
29* 


342  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

I ;  "  but  I  am  sure  that,  with  a  limited  capacity,  an 
irritable  temperament,  and  a  fanatical  zeal  for  his  re- 
ligion, he  possesses  great  ambition,  and  thinks  much 
of  himself,  though  perhaps  he  is  unconscious  of  it. 
He  probably  regards  himself  as  a  man  destined  by 
providence  to  rescue  his  sinking  church.  I  should  be 
afraid  of  him  if  he  were  not  both  cowardly  and  incon- 
sistent." 

"  Why,  then,"  inquired  the  Belgian, "  is  he  the  object 
of 'SO  many  ovations?  and  why  is  his  name  enthusias- 
tically repeated  throughout  Italy  ?  " 

"  Because  it  does  us  good,  and  enables  us  to  carry 
on  our  revolution  without  shedding  blood." 

"  Are  you  not  afraid  of  erecting  an  idol  which  you 
will  be  unable  to  throw  down  when  it  serves  your 
purpose  no  longer  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,  for  papacy  has  no  strength  among 
the  people ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  pope  refuses  to  march 
before  the  revolutionary  car  which  pushes  him  on,  he 
will  be  run  over  by  it,  and  no  one  will  turn  to  pity 
him." 


CHAPTER   XLII. 

THE  ITALIAN  MOVEMENT  AND   THE   POPE. 

"  The  Italian  movement  began  in  the  name  of  Pius 
the  Ninth,  and  then  was  turned  against  him.^^  This 
statement,  ahnost  universally  received  abroad,  could 
never  be  regarded  as  correct  in .  Italy.  The  Italian 
movement  is  to  be  referred  far  back  to  the  down- 
fall of  Napoleon,  when  England  and  Austria,  having 
quelled  the  resistance  of  Italy  by  means  of  deceitful 
promises  of  independence  and  freedom,  established 
upon  it  the  most  despotic  system  of  domestic  and  for- 
eign tyranny.  The  impious  tyrants  and  statesmen, 
then  congregated  in  Vienna,  not  only  refused  to  make 
any  concessions  to  the  progress  which  in  the  mean 
time  had  happened  in  Italy,  but  they  even  destroyed 
the  free  institutions  and  political  guarantees  which  we 
had  before  possessed. 

This  unwise  and  infamous  abuse  of  power  gave  rise 
to  an  Italian  national  movement  for  independence  and 
liberty,  which  has  gradually  and  unceasingly  pro- 
gressed, and  which  will  never  stop  tiU  such  a  flagrant 
violation  of  all  right  and  law  shall  be  atoned  for. 
Pius  the  Ninth  found  himself  involved  in  this  move- 
ment, and  was  dragged  along  by  it,  though  for  a  mo- 
ment he  appeared  to  be  its  leader.  The  Liberal  party 
on  this  occasion  showed,  of  course,  a  little  cunning; 

(343) 


344  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

but  the  pope  himself  knew  it,  and  was  not  sincere  in 
his  forced  course.  There  was  therefore  pretension 
on  both  sides ;  but  neither  of  the  parties  was  deceived. 

No  pope  could  have  voluntarily  associated  with  this 
movement,  —  least  of  all,  Pius  the  Ninth,  a  bigoted, 
narrow-minded  priest,  —  for  its  triumph  necessarily  im- 
plies a  religious  reformation  and  the  downfall  of  the 
papal  dominion  in  Rome. 

Pius  the  Ninth,  when  made  pope,  was  fifty-four 
years  old :  that  is  comparatively  young  to  be  chosen 
by  the  cardinals,  who  naturally  like  to  run  as  often 
as  possible  the  chance  of  the  election.  But  it  was 
not  thought  possible  for  him  to  live  long,  for  he  was 
almost  constantly  in  bad  health,  and  was  often  seized 
with  dreadful  epileptic  convulsions.  As  a  conse- 
quence, perhaps,  of  this  sickness,  his  temperament  was 
exceedingly  irritable.  Not  one  of  his  numerous  rel- 
atives liked  to  live  familiarly  with  him,  either  before 
or  after  his  election,  and  he  had  neither  friend  nor 
favorite.  But,  with  the  exception  of  selfishness,  he 
did  not  present  the  usual  profligate  vices  of  the  papal 
clergy :  his  habits  were  temperate  and  his  behavior 
was  chaste.  It  is  said  that  his  formerly  disordered 
conduct,  and  the  consequent  bad  state  of  his  health, 
accounted  for  this  change. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  his  continual  state  of  moral 
isolation,  combined  with  the  dejection  resulting  from, 
the  nature  of  his  sickness,  contributed  much  to  make 
him  the  coward  that  he  now  is,  for  his  predominant 
passion  was  ambition,  which  is  seldom  joined  with 
cowardice.  Ambition,  however,  and  fanaticism,  led 
him  to  think  highly  of  himself,  not  indeed  as  a  man 
of  talent  and  learning,  but  as  a  man  separated  by  God. 
He  thinks  that  Divine  Providence  once  saved  him, 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  345 

when  a  child,  from  drowning ;  afterwards  rescued  him 
from  a  dissipated  life,  and  finally  directed  on  his  head 
the  unwilling  votes  of  his  colleagues,  in  order  to 
accomplish,  by  his  means,  some  great  deed  for  the  sal- 
vation of  the  papal  church,  now  in  danger:  for  in- 
stance, to  establish,  through  his  instrumentality,  the 
dogma  of  the  "  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Holy 
Virgin,"  —  a  measure  which  no  one  of  his  predeces- 
sors dared  to  undertake. 

Besides,  he  thinks  that  he  possesses  all  the  power  of 
a  pope  of  the  middle  ages,  and  that  he  can  raise,  if  he 
chooses,  the  so-called  Catholic  world  in  one  mighty 
crusade  on  behalf  of  popery.  He  freely  expressed 
this  thought  when  the  Austrian  garrison  of  the  for- 
tress of  Ferrara  invaded  that  city,  and  there  was  a 
great  commotion  in  Rome.  He  published  the  edict, 
"  Be  not  afraid  or  excited ;  for  you  have  the  great 
privilege  of  possessing  two  hundred  millions  of 
Catholic  brethren,  and  the  whole  of  them  will  be 
ready  to  support  the  rights  of  the  Holy  See,  should 
any  one  attempt  to  invade  them."  These  words  were 
intended  to  be  a  comfort,  as  well  as  a  threat,  to  the 
Roman  people,  who  already  urged  him  too  fast.  He 
believes  also  that  he  receives  direct  inspiration  from 
the  Holy  Ghost,  when  he  privately  kneels  in  fervent 
prayer,  before  going  to  bed. 

A  man  of  such  a  character  and  of  such  ideas  will, 
no  doubt,  be  able  to  trouble  England,  the  United 
States,  and  other  Protestant  nations,  by  exciting  in 
these  countries  his  dependents  and  admirers.  He  will 
also  be  sure  of  obtaining,  on  his  demand,  the  support 
of  all  the  governments  of  Europe,  even  Protestant 
and  schismatic,  if  his  temporal  authority  is  endangered 
by  a  revolution.     But  such  a  man  can  never  be  either 


346  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

a  leader  or  a  follower  in  the  Italian  movement.  The 
credit  which  was  given  to  him  in  this  capacity 
throughout  the  world  was  the  result  of  the  conduct 
of  the  Italian  national  party.  We  had  taken  the 
power  into  our  own  hands  in  Rome,  crying  out,  "  Yiva 
Pio  Nono  ; "  and  now  our  brethren  throughout  Italy 
tittered  the  same  cry,  exalted  that  man,  and  endeav- 
ored to  force  their  rulers  into  the  same  position  in 
which  he  was.  The  troubled  condition  of  Europe, 
and  the  consequent  trepidation  of  the  Italian  rulers, 
favored  our  projects ;  and  we  were  eager  to  carry  on 
our  movement,  as  far  as  possible,  without  shedding 
blood. 

I  was  perhaps  more  interested  in  this  matter  than 
many  of  my  fellow-citizens,  for  I  looked  with  eager 
attention  on  our  situation,  and  that  of  the  pope,  par- 
ticularly with  respect  to  the  approaching  downfall  of 
papacy.  I  confess  that  even  the  momentary  triumph 
of  Pius  Ninth  often  troubled  me,  though  I  anticipated 
the  moment  of  his  fall.  In  the  mean  time,  I  critically 
observed  his  conduct,  endeavoring  to  discover  his 
real  character,  and  to  know  if  he  was  really  aware  of 
his  playing  a  dangerous  game.  I  had  even  occasion 
to  speak  to  him  on  account  of  some  business  con- 
cerning my  profession ;  for  the  pope  himself  is  the 
supreme  justice  in  his  State,  and  there  are  instances 
in  which  he  is  called  on  to  judge  by  himself,  or  by 
means  of  his  "uditore  santissimo'^  (auditor  sanctis- 
simi). 

It  was  a  summer  afternoon  when  Monsignor  Medici, 
the  "  great  master  of  ceremonies  "  (maestro  di  cerimo- 
nie),  introduced  me  into  the  private  library,  where  the 
pope  was  reading  papers  at  an  elegant  desk.  The 
prelate    had   previously    taught   me    the   ceremonies 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  347 

which  I  must  perform,  and  was  now  constantly  at  my 
side,  watching  for  their  exact  performance.  As  soon 
as  we  reached  the  threshold  of  the  door,  the  prelate 
touched  my  arm,  to  remind  me  that  it  was  the  moment 
for  the  first  genuflexion.  I  consequently  threw  my- 
self on  my  knees,  and,  in  the  fashion  of  a  Chinese 
mandarin,  made  a  profound  bow;  but  the  "great 
vicar  of  God  on  earth  "  paid  no  attention  to  my  bow- 
ing. The  prelate  kindly  helped  me  to  rise,  and,  when 
in  the  middle  of  the  room,  bade  me  to  kneel  and  bow 
again. 

Finally,  arriving  near  the  arm-chair  of  the  pope,  I 
for  the  third  time  threw  myself  on  my  knees,  and 
bowed  my  face  to  the  floor  to  kiss  the  "  very  holy 
foot"  (santissimi  piedi).  At  this,  the  pope,  without 
suspending  his  reading,  advanced  his  right  foot  some 
inches  towards  my  face  :  it  was  covered  with  a  cloth 
slipper  embroidered  with  gold,  and  was  good  to  the 
sight,  though  not  to  the  smell,  as  the  weather  was  very 
warm.  Now,  still  on  my  knees,  I  delivered  my  speech 
in  Latin,  and  the  pope  continued  to  peruse  his  papers. 
Though,  not  being  familiar  with  Latin,  be  was  unable 
to  understand  a  word  of  my  speech,  he  seemed  to  be 
pleased  with  it,  from  my  occupying  but  a  short  time 
in  its  delivery. 

The  pope  informed  me  that  he  would  appoint  a  par- 
ticular judge  for  the  decision  of  my  business,  it  being 
a  rather  complicated  afiair ;  and  then  he  began  to  talk 
of  indifferent  matters,  namely,  where  I  was  born, 
where  my  parents  lived,  if  I  succeeded  in  my  profes- 
sion, &c.  This,  of  course,  was  a  condescension  on  his 
part;  and  he  knew  too  well  how  to  manage  these  trifles, 
by  which  he  made  the  greater  impression,  as  the  mem- 
ory of  his  frowning,  cruel  predecessor  was  still  fresh. 


348  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

In  the  same  manner,  lie  never  omitted  an  occasion  of 
flattering  the  vanity  of  distinguished  travellers  who 
went  to  see  him,  especially  if  they  were  Protestants, 
for  he  then  dispensed  with  kneeling  and  bowing,  and 
presented  to  their  kisses  his  hand  and  magic  ring, 
instead  of  his  holy  foot.  Moreover,  he  often  made 
observations  on  their  country,  and  dismissed  them 
highly  gratified  with  his  sweet  manners  and  pleasant 
countenance.  I  retired  in  the  same  manner  I  had 
gone  there,  kneeling  and  bowing  again  three  times, 
and  without  turning  my  back  on  the  pope. 

At  this  time  it  was  nearly  a  year  since  the  amnesty 
had  been  promulgated,  and  the  fame  of  Pius  the 
Ninth  was  boundless  throughout  Europe,  and  even  in 
America.  Every  one  proclaimed  him  a  great  reformer, 
and  many  a  good  Protestant  began  to  think,  that,  after 
having  reformed  the  state,  he  would  also  reform  the 
church.  As  for  me,  it  was  exceedingly  amusing  to 
see  with  my  own  eyes  how  groundless  was  such  a 
rumor.  We  were,  indeed,  free,  and  all  the  power  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  people,  but  not  one  of  the  former 
abuses  had  been  reformed  by  law.  For  instance,  the 
Inquisition  preserved  the  censorship  on  the  public 
press ;  but,  in  spite  of  it,  we  had  good  newspapers, 
because  the  Reverend  Father  Inquisitors  were  afraid 
of  the  people. 

As  for  a  religious  reformation,  no  man  had  more 
decidedly  expressed  his  aversion  to  it,  both  when  a 
bishop  and  when  a  pope.  It  was  his  narrow-minded 
bigotry  that  led  him  to  many  persecutions,  which  cre- 
ated so  much  hatred  against  him  both  in  Spoleto  and 
Imola  during  the  time  of  his  bishopric  in  those  cities. 
He  had  been  a  pope  only  a  few  days  when  (a  high  com- 
pliment oil  his  part)  he  went  to  say  mass  in  the  Church 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  349 

del  Gssic,  the  head-quarters  of  the  Jesuits ;  and  there 
he  made  a  speech,  proclaiming  the  Jesuits  to  be  "  the 
strong  and  experienced  oarsmen  who  kept  from  ship- 
wreck the  bark  of  St.  Peter."  I  think  that  he  was 
right  in  thus  speaking,  for,  without  the  institution  of 
the  Jesuits,  papacy  could  not  have  been  supported  till 
now ;  but  how  was  it  possible  to  suppose  that  such  a 
man  intended  to  make  a  religious  reformation? 

Again,  I  have  heard  with  my  own  ears  the  eloquent 
Father  Ventura,  the  friend  and  favorite  preacher  of 
the  pope,  taking  constantly  as  his  theme,  when  preach- 
ing before  him,  some  topics  against  the  religious  Refor- 
mation. I  have  heard  him  denouncing  (I  use  his  own 
words  taken  from  a  published  address)  "  the  shameful 
origin  of  the  Reformation,  the  beastly  nature  of  its 
author,  the  dissoluteness  of  its  apostles,  the  blasphe- 
mies and  contradictions  of  its  doctrines,  the  baseness 
of  its  manoeuvres,  the  hypocrisy  of  its  promises,  the 
turpitude  of  its  motives,  the  iniquities  of  its  spolia- 
tions, the  cruelty  of  its  massacres,  the  horror  of  its 
sacrileges,  and  the  mighty  misfortunes  which  it  has 
brought  upon  the  loveliest  countries  of  Europe."  A 
pope,  of  course,  encouraging  and  provoking  those 
absurd  and  unjust  charges,  could  not  at  the  same 
time  meditate  a  reformation  in  religion. 

But  there  was,  I  have  said,  a  kind  of  conspiracy 
among  the  Italians.  The  press  of  Rome  carefully 
concealed  every  act  or  word  of  the  pope  which  could 
betray  his  true  character,  uniformly  gave  the  most 
favorable  interpretation  to  everything  which  could 
show  a  liberal  spirit,  and  exaggerated  the  value  and 
meaning  of  every  trifle.  Abroad  were  copied  the 
statements  of  the  Roman  press,  to  which  were  added 
30 


350  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

many  praises,  which  acquired  the  more  credit  as  they 
were  carried  into  more  distant  countries.  In  short, 
Pius  the  Ninth  might,  at  this  epoch,  have  been  styled 
''the  great  humbug  of  the  Italian  national  move- 
ment.'* 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE  CONSPIRACY   OF   THE  SANFEDISTI. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  these  great  prepara- 
tions in  the  Corso  and  Piazza  del  Popolo  ?  '^ 

This  question  was  addressed  to  me  by  my  Spanish 
friend  Fernandez,  who  had  just  come  to  Rome,  at- 
tracted chiefly  by  curiosity  to  see  a  liberal  pope.  I 
replied  that  we  were  preparing  for  a  great  demonstra- 
tion, to  be  made  on  the  first  anniversary  of  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  amnesty,  which  would  be  two  days 
after. 

"  Have  you  not  expressed  gratitude  enough  for 
that  act  by  all  the  demonstrations  of  which  I  have 
heard?" 

"  That  is  not  the  question,"  repHed  I.  "Our  demon- 
strations are  the  arms  by  which  we  storm  Pius  the 
Ninth,  in  order  to  coax  and  bully  him  into  conces- 
sions." 

"  Has  he  not  already  made  many  reformations  and 
concessions  ?  " 

"  Many,  indeed,  but  judge  yourself  of  their  real  im- 
portance for  the  public  welfare.  Not  to  speak  of  the 
amnesty,  which  was  a  necessary  act  for  him,  and 
acquired  importance  only  by  '  our  extensive  interpre- 
tation,' his   concessions  and  reformations  have,  till 

(361) 


352  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

now,  been  limited  to  the  following  acts :  He  restrained 
the  expenditure  of  his  household;  reformed  the  tenure 
of  the  papal  stables  by  selling  the  horses,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  sixty,  and  engaging  only  fifty  men  for  their 
service  j  he  has  walked  two  or  three  times  with  only 
a  few  guards  in  some  public  street ;  preached  once  for 
ten  minutes  in  the  Church  of  St.  Andrew ;  placed  a 
particular  box  at  the  door  of  the  palace  for  petitions 
directed  to  him ;  established  a  regular  public  audience 
for  all  kinds  of  people  in  the  afternoon  of  every 
Thursday ;  and,  finally,  permitted  the  city  of  Eome 
to  have  a  municipal  authority  appointed  by  him." 

"I  confess,"  said  the  Spaniard,  "that the  importance 
of  those  reformations  is  to  be  appreciated  only  in 
reference  to  the  former  oppression  weighing  upon 
you,  and  to  the  proud  and  cruel  conduct  of  the  late 
pope.     But  what  is  it  for  which  you  urge  the  pope  ?  " 

"  We  have  received  every  slight  concession,"  an- 
swered I,  "  with  exaggerated  demonstrations  of  grati- 
tude. But  we  constantly  demand  to  have  the  liberty 
of  the  press  recognized  by  law ;  the  expulsion  of  the 
Jesuits ;  and,  the  most  important  of  all,  the  arming  of 
a  national  guard,  because,  when  the  people  are  not 
well  armed,  and  prepared  to  resist  every  encroach- 
ment upon  their  rights,  no  reliance  can  be  placed  upon 
any  solemn  promise  or  sacred  oath  of  a  pope  or  a 
king." 

"Do  you  think,  then,"  inquired  the  Spaniard,  "that 
Pius  the  Ninth,  enthusiastically  applauded  throughout 
all  Europe  as  a  great  reformer,  would  in  some  instance 
retrace  his  steps,  forfeit  his  solemn  promises,  and 
break  a  sacred  oath  ?  " 

"  He  will  do  all  this,  and  worse,"  answered  I,  "  as 
soon  as  the  interest  of  his  caste  requires  it.    Suppose, 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  353 

for  instance,  that,  after  having  established  a  national 
guard,  we  should  ask  for  a  political  constitution 
securing  a  liberal  government.  In  this  case  he  will 
comply  with  our  wish,  because  he  is  a  coward,  but  let 
him  have  the  means  of  putting  us  down,  and  he  will 
not  hesitate  a  moment  to  break  his  oath,  and  restore 
despotism." 

Thus  speaking,  we  were  going  down  from  Piazza 
Colonna  to  Via  Condotti,  with  the  intention  of  pro- 
ceeding to  the  Pincian  Hill,  to  enjoy  the  cool  breeze 
and  the  spectacle  of  the  setting  sun,  but  we  had 
hardly  turned  the  corner  of  the  Corso  and  Via  Con- 
dotti, when  we  met,  face  to  face,  my  friends  Mattia, 
Fabio,  and  Marco,  who,  in  a  state  of  great  excitement, 
hastily  bade  me  follow  them,  and  went  straight  to- 
wards the  castle  of  St.  Angelo.  On  the  way  Mattia 
informed  me,  in  a  few  words,  that  a  conspiracy  of  the 
Sanfedisti  had  just  been  discovered  by  Angelo  Bru- 
netti,  called  Ciceruacchio,  a  well-known  and  popular 
tribune. 

In  the  mean  time  I  saw  many  people  running  in 
haste  in  every  direction,  all  the  shops  were  rapidly 
closed,  and  from  every  door  came  out  young  men, 
holding  hunting-guns,  swords,  and  other  weapons.  We 
reached  Via  deU'  Orso,  which  was  literally  filled  with 
armed  youths,  and,  arriving  at  the  front  of  the  castle, 
we  saw  there  Ciceruacchio  and  others  of  our  friends 
receiving  arms  from  the  garrison,  composed  of  artil- 
lerymen, all  on  our  side.  In  a  few  moments  numerous 
companies  of  well-armed  young  men  were  organized, 
and  they  went  successively  to  patrol  the  city  in  every 
direction,  in  order  to  restore  order  and  quiet,  as  well 
as  to  prevent  an  outburst  of  the  dreaded  conspiracy. 

During  my  tour  I  again  met  my  Spanish  friend,  who 
30* 


354  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

was  armed  with  an  ancient  sword.  He  joined  me, 
and,  walking  around,  we  talked  of  the  event.  "  In 
what  manner  was  the  conspiracy  discovered?"  said 
he ;  and  I  informed  him  that  Ciceruacchio,  whose  life 
was  particularly  sought  for,  received  an  intimation  of 
it  from  one  of  the  three  assassins  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  kill  him ;  but  this  man  did  not  know  the 
general  plan,  which  was  discovered  by  searching  the 
house  of  a  former  infamous  spy,  called  Minardi,  who 
fled  from  Rome  as  soon  as  a  rumor  of  discovery  was 
heard. 

"  The  plan  of  the  Sanfedisti  was  this.  During  the 
great  procession,  which  was  to  take  place  the  day 
after  to-morrow,  each  of  the  most  prominent  leaders 
of  our  party  was  personally  destined  to  the  poniards 
of  one,  two,  or  three  hired  assassins,  according  to  the 
importance  attached  to  their  lives.  The  assassins 
were  directed  to  keep  constantly  at  a  short  distance 
from  their  intended  victims,  and  to  strike  their  blows 
only  when  a  tumult  should  be  raised.  A  certain  Yir- 
ginio  Alpi,  as  it  appears  from  a  letter  of  his  found  in 
the  house  of  Minardi,  had  enrolled  assassins  for  the 
purpose  from  among  the  highwaymen  belonging  to 
the  society  of  the  Sanfedisti  in  the  northern  prov- 
inces. A  large  band  of  those  ruffians  had  been  already 
arrested,  and  they  had  each  a  poniard  of  the  same 
shape,  with  their  pockets  well  supplied  with  gold." 

"  From  whom  do  they  say  that  they  got  those 
things  ? "  said  the  Spaniard ;  and  I  answered  that 
"They  were  all  silent  on  this  point  except  two,  who, 
overwhelmed  by  fear,  declared  that  a  prelate  and 
a  cardinal,  after  having  blessed  them,  gave  them  the 
poniards.  'The  prelate,  no  doubt,  was  Monsignor 
Grassellini,  the  Governor  of  Rome,     He  fled  towards 


THE    ROMAN    EXILE.  355 

Naples  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  discovery  of  the 
plot.  Twenty  dragoons  on  horseback  have  been  sent 
in  pursuit  of  him,  but  there  is  little  hope  of  over- 
taking him.  As  for  the  cardinal,  suspicion  fell  upon 
Lambruschini,  but  the  two  ruffians  maintain  that  the 
one  they  saw  was  young." 

The  next  morning  I  heard  that  the  pope,  as  soon  as 
informed  of  what  had  transpired  the  evening  before, 
ordered  his  Swiss  guards  to  close  up  and  watch  the 
gates  of  his  palace.  At  ten  o'clock,  however,  he  sent 
for  Monsignor  Morandi,  formerly  an  honest  lawyer, 
and  appointed  him  Governor  of  Rome.  The  new  gov- 
ernor gave  wise  orders  for  the  apprehension  of  the 
fugitive  conspirators ;  and,  early  in  the  morning,  pub- 
lished an  edict  requesting  the  people  to  be  quiet,  be- 
cause the  conspiracy  was  fully  discovered,  the  gov- 
ernment was  in  possession  of  important  documents, 
and  the  culprits  were  partly  arrested,  and  more  would 
be  arrested  by  the  soldiers,  pursuing  them  in  every 
direction.  "  In  the  mean  time,"  said  he,  "  I  am  pre- 
paring for  the  trial,  and  justice  will  be  done  quickly." 

In  fact,  Freddi,  the  colonel  of  the  gendarmes,  Nar- 
doni,  the  chief  spy  of  the  late  pope,  and  other  chiefs 
of  the  conspiracy,  were  overtaken  and  brought  to 
Rome.  Nay,  the  pope  himself  wrote  to  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  in  order  that  Minardi,  who  had  fled 
to  Florence,  should  be  arrested  and  sent  to  Rome. 
Peace  and  quiet  were  restored,  and  we  waited  for  the 
results  of  the  trial.  The  pope  now  no  longer  resisted 
the  establishment  of  a  national  guard,  and  all  our  en- 
ergy and  attention  were  called  to  that  object. 

"I  wonder,"  said  Mattia  often,  "how  Grassellini, 
Freddi,  Alpi,  and  others,  who  are  very  cunning,  could 
think  that,  by  killing  some  of  the  leaders  of  our  party, 


i 


356  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

and  striking  the  people  with  terror,  they  would  be  able 
to  restore  despotism." 

I  could  not  understand  this  any  better  than  he  or 
any  of  our  friends ;  but  in  a  few  days  the  news  came 
to  Rome  that,  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  July,  the 
day  fixed  for  the  outburst  of  the  conspiracy,  a  large 
body  of  Austrian  troops  crossed  the  river  Po  into  the 
Roman  territory,  and  said  that  they  were  coming  to 
restore  order.  But  Yirginio  Alpi,  who  was  flying 
from  Rome,  having  arrived  at  their  encampment,  they 
re-crossed  the  river,  and  he  went  with  them. 

It  was,  then,  with  the  connivance  of  Austria  that 
this  Jesuitical  movement  had  been  attempted.  But 
was  the  pope  aware  of  it?  I  think  that  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  projected  cool  assassination  of  so  many 
persons,  but  to  be  delivered  from  the  overwhelming 
popular  influence  was,  no  doubt,  the  height  of  his 
wishes.  In  the  official  correspondence  respecting 
Italy,  which  was  published  by  order  of  the  English 
cabinet,  there  is  a  passage  illustrating  this  point.  The 
English  ambassador  at  Vienna,  writing  to  Lord  Palm- 
erston  a  few  days  before,  says,  "  Prince  Metternich 
has  made  a  verbal  communication  to  me  of  a  probable 
intervention  of  the  Austrian  troops  in  Rome,  in  order 
to  deliver  the  pope  from  the  popular  anarchy.  He 
did  not  say  that  the  pope  applied  for  this  intervention, 
but  I  have  no  doubt  of  it." 

Fifteen  days  had  scarcely  elapsed  from  the  appoint- 
ment of  Monsignor  Morandi  to  the  governorship  of 
Rome,  when  the  pope  gave  him  another  office,  and 
put  in  his  place  Monsignor  Savelli,  perhaps  the  most 
wicked  of  all  the  prelates  then  in  Rome,  and  suspected 
to  belong  to  the  society  of  the  Sanfedisti.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  the  trial  for  the  conspiracy  of  the 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  357 

Sanfedisti  was  never  heard  of  again.  I  will  add,  that 
afterwards  the  pope,  as  soon  as  restored  to  Rome  by 
the  Frenchmen,  thought  of  rewarding  all  the  wicked 
characters  who  had  been  concerned  in  that  infamous 
plot.  In  fact,  Monsignor  Grassellini  received  the  rich 
archbishopric  of  Palermo ;  Monsignor  Savelli  is  now 
a  cardinal ;  Colonel  Freddi,  a  general ;  the  base  spy 
Nardoni,  a  general,  too  ;  Minardi,  the  general  director 
of  police  ;  Alpi,  the  general  director  of  the  custom- 
house ;  and  so  on. 

I  declare,  however,  that  I  have  still  some  doubts 
concerning  the  participation  of  the  pope  in  that  infer- 
nal plot,  and  I  believe  that  Cardinal  Lambruschini 
had  no  concern  at  all  in  it.  The  cardinal  who  blessed 
the  poniards,  together  with  Monsignor  Grassellini,  was 
probably  Cardinal  Antonelli,  for  subsequent  events 
proved  him  to  be  a  chief  of  the  society  of  the  San- 
fedisti. 

A  failure  of  an  attempt  affords  a  good  opportunity 
for  the  rising  of  the  party  which  escaped  the  blow. 
We  of  course  knew  this,  and  tried  to  derive  all  pos- 
sible advantage  from  that  event.  Our  most  important 
wish,  namely,  the  establishment  of  a  national  guard, 
was  now  satisfied,  and  we  proceeded  at  once  to  obtain 
also  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits.  The  first  general 
outburst  against  these  hated  monks  was  a  great  dem- 
onstration made  with  the  usual  cry,  "  Viva  Pio  Nono,'^ 
when  the  news  reached  Rome  that  the  Swiss  Federal- 
ists had  conquered  the  Jesuitical  league  called  Son- 
derbund,  backed  by  Austria,  which  threatened  Swit- 
zerland with  a  civil  war ;  besides,  almost  every  night 
demonstrations  were  made  around  their  convents,  and 
cries  uttered  of  "Viva  Pio  Nono,'^  "Death  to  the 


358  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

Jesuits,"  &c.  Threats  also  of  setting  the  convents  on 
fire  were  often  heard  from  the  people. 

The  Jesuits  cunningly  applied  to  the  pope,  and  im- 
plored him  to  place  a  company  of  the  national  guard 
at  each  of  their  convents,  in  order,  as  they  said,  to 
protect  them  from  the  mob.  For  some  days  the  na- 
tional guards  obeyed  the  orders  given  by  the  pope  ; 
but  soon  after  a  general  and  positive  refusal  came 
from  all  the  quarters  of  the  national  guards.  The 
Jesuits  well  understood  the  meaning  of  this,  and  began 
to  pack  up  their  movables. 

In  fact,  a  few  evenings  after  this  event  an  immense 
crowd  of  people  assembled  in  the  Piazza  del  Popolo, 
and  began  to  discuss  the  matter  of  the  expulsion  of 
the  Jesuits.  An  old  shepherd,  a  native  of  the  Sabine 
mountains,  who  was  clad  in  goat's  skin,  rose  and  said, 
"  To  drive  the  fox  from  its  hole,  the  best  way  is  to 
set  fire  to  it ;"  and  then,  waving  a  large  burning  torch, 
he  gave  the  signal. 

The  Jesuits  heard  the  approaching  storm,  and,  not 
daring  to  face  it,  deserted  their  convents.  Those 
among  them  who  resided  in  Rome  were,  of  course, 
the  most  cunning  of  their  cunning  order.  The  pope 
chose  a  large  cargo  of  them,  which  he  sent  as  a  gift 
to  the  United  States  of  America.  They  landed  at  New 
York,  and  spread  over  the  western  States. 

The  day  following  that  stormy  night  the  official 
newspaper  of  the  pope  announced  the  withdrawing 
of  the  Jesuits,  and  said  :  "  His  holiness,  who  has  ever 
looked  with  favor  on  these  servants  of  the  church,  as 
unwearied  fellow-laborers  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord, 
is  bitterly  grieved  at  this  unhappy  event.  Consider- 
ing, however,  the  growing  excitement,  and  the  numer- 
ous parties  which  threaten  serious  trouble,  the  pope 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  359 

has  been  forced  to  look  at  these  dangers:  he  has, 
therefore,  made  known  to  the  father-general  of  the 
company  his  sentiments,  as  well  as  the  concern  he 
feels  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  the  times  and  the 
prospect  of  serious  disturbance.  Upon  this  announce- 
ment the  father-general  resolved  to  yield  to  the  force 
of  circumstances." 

None  of  the  newspapers  of  Rome  and  Italy  chose 
to  copy  these  explicit  words.  They  were  satisfied 
with  triumphantly  announcing  that  the  Jesuits  had 
left  Rome  by  order  of  the  pope.  The  French  news- 
papers were  filled  with  the  praises  of  such  a  great 
pope,  who  banished  the  Jesuits,  and  his  fame  as  a 
religious  reformer  was  diffused  in  all  Protestant  coun- 
tries. 

The  man  who  had  the  principal  share  in  discovering 
the  Jesuitical  plot,  and  whose  life  was  particularly  and 
eagerly  sought  for  by  the  Sanfedisti, — I  mean  Angelo 
Brunetti,  called  Ciceruacchio, — was  a  humble  carman, 
who  never  gave  up  his  trade  or  his  coarse  dress,  not- 
withstanding the  prominent  part  he  played  in  all  the 
events  of  the  revolution,  which  began  with  the  am- 
nesty, and  was  put  down  by  foreign  invasion.  Ciceru- 
acchio, now  about  forty-five  years  old,  presented  the 
best  type  of  a  handsome,  strongly-built  man,  inured  to 
labor.  His  face  and  countenance,  when  occupied  by 
serious  thoughts,  presented  all  the  features  of  Marius, 
though  his  character  was  totally  different  from  that  of 
the  stern  and  ferocious  consul  of  Arpinium. 

Ciceruacchio,  warmly  attached  to  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, had  an  excessive  veneration  for  his  mother,  who 
boasted  of  having  devoted  all  her  life  to  the  education 
of  this  only  child,  since  his  father  had  died  very  young 
and  poor.     It  was  not  a  literary  education  she  had 


360  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

given  him,  for,  though  he  could  easily  read  a  printed 
book,  he  wrote  only  with  difficulty,  and  the  whole  of 
his  knowledge  was  confined  to  the  ancient  and  modern 
history  of  Rome.  He  knew  this,  however,  thoroughly. 
She  wanted,  above  all,  to  make  him  an  honest  citizen, 
and  then  an  industrious  carman,  because  his  father, 
who  also  had  been  a  carman,  was  rather  indolent. 

Ciceruacchio  was  now  comparatively  rich,  though 
he  frequently  assisted  his  less  fortunate  fellow-trades- 
men. All  the  common  people  knew  him,  and  were 
fond  of  him.  The  late  pope  had  been  infonned  of 
the  wonderful  influence  of  Ciceruacchio,  and  tried  to 
gain  him,  but  in  vain.  The  new  pope  thought  for  a 
moment  of  attaching  to  his  person  that  formidable 
and  popular  tribune,  but  soon  perceived  this  to  be 
impossible.  How,  indeed,  cou^^Eie  win  over  an  hon- 
est man,  of  moderate  habits,  who  was  insensible  to 
the  flattery  of  courtly  honors,  and  thought  himself  rich 
and  happy  in  his  condition  ? 

The  true  secret  of  this  man's  influence  lay  in  his 
generous  and  virtuous  conduct,  and  in  his  extraordi- 
nary powers  of  mind.  The  quality  for  which  he  was 
generally  admired  afterwards,  especially  by  foreigners, 
—  I  mean  his  astonishing  eloquence,  —  was  unknown 
before  the  establishment  of  freedom,  and  he  himself 
had  never  thought  of  his  possessing  it.  In  general  he 
spoke  but  little,  and  then  used  the  fewest  possible 
words.  This  is  a  common  habit  with  the  Eoman  peo- 
ple, and  presents  a  striking  contrast  to  the  noisy 
loquacity  of  their  brethren  of  Naples.  But,  when  he 
addressed  the  people  on  momentous  occasions,  the 
graceful  strength  of  his  clear  and  fluent  speech 
proved  fascinating  even  to  men  of  talent  and  learn- 
ing. 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  361 

I  have  sometimes  seen  him  stopping  his  car  in  the 
midst  of  a  tumultuous  crowd,  and,  making  a  tribune 
of  it,  deliver  speeches  for  which  an  orator  ipight  have 
toiled  for  years  in  vain.  He  was  calm,  modest,  unpre- 
tending, and  affable.  He  did  a  great  deal  on  behalf 
of  the  liberal  cause,  and  for  his  services  the  revolu- 
tionists desired  to  give  him  important  employments, 
and  even  insisted  on  his  taking  an  active  part  in  public 
business.  But  in  vain :  his  co-operation  was  entirely 
gratuitous,  disinterested,  and  free  from  ambition.  The 
common  people  made  him  their  candidate  at  the  epoch 
of  the  elections  for  the  Roman  Constituent  Assembly, 
but  he  declined,  saying,  "To  draw  a  car  in  the  streets 
is  very  different  from  drawing  the  great  car  of  the 
State ;  and  I  do  not  at  all  understand  the  matter  of 
making  good  laws." 

Afterwards,  during  the  siege  of  Rome,  Ciceruacchio 
fought  bravely,  together  with  his  two  sons,  the  young- 
est of  whom  was  killed.  Besides,  he  spent  much  of 
his  property  in  helping  the  sufferers.  What  was  the 
end  of  this  man?  None  can  tell.  He  and  his  son 
mysteriously  disappeared.  The  Holy  Inquisition  per- 
haps seized  them ! 
31 


CHAPTER    XLIY. 

THE   ^' SACRA   ROMANA   ROTA. 


Everything  is  holy  and  sacred  with  the  pope,  even 
the  chair  upon  which  he  sits.  Why,  then,  should  not 
also  the  superior  tribunals,  of  which  he  is  the  first  pres- 
ident and  the  supreme  judge,  be  sacred  and  holy? 
They  are,  indeed,  too  often  composed  of  wicked 
prelates;  but  that  matters  little;  and,  should  they 
commit  injustice,  it  must  be  a  "  holy  injustice,'^  which 
papal  subjects  are  bound  to  venerate.  To  be  admit- 
ted to  plead  before  those  sacred  tribunals  was,  of 
course,  a  great  privilege,  involving  a  certain  participa- 
tion in  their  holiness.  Being  an  unworthy  subject, 
and  suspected  of  entertaining  sinful  thoughts  about 
the  authority  of  the  pope,  I  could  not  aspire  to  such 
an  honor  during  the  last  years  of  the  reign  of  G-reg- 
ory  XYI.  But  now  all  was  changed.  Exhibiting, 
then,  all  the  necessary  documents  concerning  my 
theoretical  and  practical  courses  both  in  civil  and 
canon  law,  I  asked  for  the  preliminary  admission  to 
the  examination,  which  consists  in  a  difficult  extempo- 
raneous experiment  to  be  made  before  the  supreme 
tribunal,  called  "  Sacra  Romana  Rota." 

After  all  the  required  formalities  had  been  fulfilled, 
that  tribunal,  on  the  3d  of  August,  1847,  issued  a 
decree,  plenis  suffragiis,  by  which  I  was  recognized 

(362) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  363 

as  "  Sacrae  RomanaB  Rotse  advocatus/'  and  invested 
with  all  the  privileges  belonging  to  my  new  office. 
This  event  improved  my  condition  very  much,  and 
extended  my  credit.  Besides,  the  fees  established  for 
this  and  other  superior  tribunals  were  almost  double 
those  allowed  to  lawyers  before  the  inferior  courts. 
My  occupation,  too,  was  now  congenial  to  my  taste, 
because  I  was  a  lawyer  (advocatus),  and  not  an  attor- 
ney (jprocurator).  There  can  be  no  regular  lawsuit 
unless  each  party  is  represented  by  an  attorney,  on 
whom  devolves  the  care  of  the  proceedings.  He  ap- 
plies for  the  assistance  of  a  lawyer  only  when  there 
is  to  be  a  difficult  discussion.  The  lawyer  gives  his 
opinion,  or  makes  a  formal  defence,  always  in  writing, 
and  then  calls  privately  on  the  judges  to  see  if  they 
want  any  further  explanation ;  for  there  is  no  public 
and  verbal  discussion  before  these  tribunals.  My  oc- 
cupation was  therefore  to  sit  in  my  office,  writing,  or 
to  give  advice  to  those  who  came  to  consult  me. 

The  "  Sacra  Romana  Rota,"  the  most  conspicuous 
among  the  papal  tribunals,  is  also  the  most  ancient  in 
existence  in  Europe,  having  undergone  no  material 
modification  during  the  last  six  hundred  years.  Its 
name,  "Rota"  (wheel),  is  not  derived  from  its  fickle- 
ness, as  many  an  etymologist  has  supposed,  but  from 
a  round  table  turning  on  a  pivot,  at  which  the  twelve 
judges  (auditores)  of  this  tribunal  sit  during  their 
meetings.  But  let  no  one  suppose  that  there  is  any 
good  or  bad  spirit  to  turn  the  table.  They  turn  it 
with  their  own  hands,  in  order  to  place  the  presiden 
tial  desk  successively  before  the  one  who  is  chosen 
president  by  the  appellant ;  for  they  sit  by  order  of 
seniority  in  the  office,  and  have  no  permanent  pres- 
ident. 


364  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

The  "  Sacra  Romaaa  Rota  "  was  intended  to  be  a 
supreme  tribunal  for  the  Catholic  world  in  all  ques- 
tions concerning  marriages,  religious  vows,  ecclesias- 
tical jurisdiction,  matters  of  benefice,  and  generally 
the  interest  and  property  of  the  church ;  for  both  of 
the  contending  parties  have  the  right  of  appealing  to 
the  pope,  and,  besides,  he  himself  refers  such  suits  to 
his  tribunal.  But  first  the  Reformation,  and  then  par- 
ticular treaties  called  "  Concordati,"  have  greatly  re- 
stricted the  jurisdiction  of  this  cosmopolite  tribunal, 
which  is  now  recognized  only  in  Spain,  Belgium,  and 
such  parts  of  Italy  as  are  not  subject  to  Austria. 

The  constitution  and  organization  of  this  tribunal 
are  very  singular.  The  twelve  judges  composing  it 
are  called  "auditores"  of  the  pope,  because  they  have 
the  rank  of  chaplains  of  the  pope,  meet  in  his  own 
apartment,  and  go  to  ask  for  a  particular  delegation 
of  power  from  him  each  time  they  assemble,  so  that 
they  cannot  hold  their  sessions  during  the  vacancy 
of  the  "Holy  See."  They  are  all  prelates,  though 
they  may  be  laymen,  and  each  of  them,  by  living  long 
enough,  can  become  a  cardinal ;  for  their  dean,  that  is, 
the  senior  in  office,  acquires  such  a  right  after  some 
years  of  service. 

Only  four  of  these  prelates  are  appointed  by  the 
pope,  four  are  elected  by  the  cities  of  Bologna,  Fer- 
rara,  Ravenna,  and  Perugia ;  one  is  sent  by  France, 
one  by  Spain,  and  two  by  Austria,  as  holding  the  right 
once  belonging  to  the  republic  of  Venice.  The  right 
of  electing  these  judges  involves  the  duty  of  giving 
them  a  large  annual  income,  which  they  receive 
besides  their  salary.  France,  for  instance,  pays  seven 
thousand  dollars  yearly  to  the  auditor  appointed  by 
her   government.     This   arrangement,  however,  pro- 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  365 

duces  a  good  effect  by  giving  to  the  majority  of  those 
judges  a  certain  independence.  They  use  no  language 
but  Latin.  Each  of  them  has  three  lawyers  attached 
to  his  office  to  help  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty, 
but  they  have  only  an  advisory  vote. 

Their  meeting  takes  place  regularly  every  Monday 
and  Friday  morning,  at  eight  o'clock.  They  begin  by 
listening  to  the  mass  in  the  private  chapel  of  the  pope, 
and  then  go  to  him  to  ask  for  the  power  of  judging. 
The  room  in  which  they  meet  is  locked,  and  no  one 
can  go  in  or  come  out  till  they  have  concluded  their 
business,  which  takes  but  little  time ;  for  the  contend- 
ing parties  —  that  is,  their  attorneys  and  lawyers  — 
must  agree  beforehand  upon  a  short  formula  called 
dubium,  which  implies  the  deci^on  of  the  contro- 
verted point  by  yes  or  no.  Their  vote,  therefore, 
consists  in  the  word  "affirmative"  or  "negative,'^ 
according  to  the  opinion  which  they  have  formed 
from  reading  the  allegations  and  documents  at  home. 

They  give  no  reasons  for  their  decision, —  nay,  they 
are  bound  by  a  solemn  oath  carefully  and  constantly 
to  conceal  their  individual  opinions  and  votes,  before 
as  well  as  after  the  decision.  But  one  of  the  lawyers 
attached  to  the  office  of  the  prelate  who  was  the  pres- 
ident, publishes  the  decision,  and  gives  the  motives 
of  it,  by  taking  them  from  the  allegation  of  the  victo- 
rious party.  If  the  other  party  submit  to  the  decis- 
ion, all  is  over ;  if  not,  the  point  is  discussed  again  in 
the  same  manner,  once,  twice,  thrice,  <fec.,  should  the 
judges  think  proper ;  otherwise,  they  answer  with  the 
word  expediatur,  which  has  the  effect  of  a  sentence. 
Two  uniform  sentences  constitute  a  rejudicata. 

With  all  its  imperfections,  this  tribunal  is  the  best 
we  have ;  but  there  are  so  many  taxes  to  be  paid,  that 
31-^     • 


366  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

no  one  will  come  before  it  except  for  a  very  impor- 
tant and  valuable  object.  In  other  cases,  a  wise 
person  will  arrange  the  matter  with  the  party  bring- 
ing suit.  The  poor,  then,  and  the  unfortunate,  would 
often  suffer  wrong  merely  from  being  sued ;  but  the 
lawyers  of  Rome  long  ago  formed  an  association 
called  the  Society  of  S.  Ivo,  whose  members  are 
bound  to  assist  those  persons  for  nothing,  and  the 
society  either  pays  the  expense,  or  makes  the  opposite 
party  pay  it  if  they  are  victorious. 

The  "  Sacra  Romana  Rota  "  has  no  doubt  lost  much 
of  its  former  splendor  and  power ;  but  it  still  retains 
the  most  important  of  its  privileges,  —  a  privilege  with 
which  no  other  tribjinal  on  earth  was  ever  endowed, 
—  that  of  determining  on  the  admission  of  new  saints 
into  heaven.  The  final  decision,  indeed,  depends  upon 
the  "  infallible  "  judgment  of  the  pope ;  but  it  is  the 
"  Sacra  Rota  Romana  "  which  examines  the  claims  of 
the  new  saints  seeking  for  admission  into  heaven,  and, 
should  this  tribunal  declare  them  to  be  unfounded,  the 
pope  would  no  doubt  leave  them  in  purgatory,  or  in 
some  worse  place.  These  claims,  usually  proposed  by 
relatives,  or  by  the  order  to  which  the  deceased  saint 
belonged,  are  discussed  with  the  ordinary  proceed- 
ings. A  lawyer  opposes  the  admission,  and  endeavors 
to  prove  that  the  proposed  claims  —  for  instance,  some 
wonderful  miracles  —  are  groundless,  or  but  an  artful 
pretence.  He  is  therefore  called  the  "  lawyer  of  the 
devil "  (avvocato  del  diavolo)  ;  while,  on  the  contrary, 
he  who  sustains  their  claims  is  termed  the  "  lawyer  of 
the  saints  "  (avvocato  dei  santi). 

Now,  only  to  think  that  I  had  been  admitted  into 
such  a  privileged  class  of  lawyers,  on  whose  co-oper- 
ation or  opposition  depended  the  admission  or  the 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  367 

exclusion  of  new  saints  I  And  perhaps  the  day  would 
come  in  which  some  one  would  engage  my  services  to 
send  a  saint  to  heaven!  Such  services  would  be 
counted  to  me  in  future,  besides  my  being  well  paid 
in  the  present,  —  for  no  new  saint  can  reach  heaven  if 
there  is  not  some  one  ready  to  pay  at  least  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  a  portion  of  which  the  lawyers 
engaged  in  that  business  are  entitled  to. 

I  had  previously  witnessed  (during  1840)  the  splen- 
did operation  of  making  new  saints,  and  it  was  quite 
an  important  occasion,  as  there  were  six  candidates, 
and  their  friends,  called  "  promotori,"  had  plenty  of 
money.  There  was,  therefore,  great  merriment  in 
Rome  for  several  days,  and  many  foreigners  came 
from  England,  France,  Spain,  and  other  countries,  to 
see  that  great  performance.  It  was  really  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  spectacles  that  I  ever  saw.  But  I  par- 
ticularly enjoyed  looking  at  the  happy  faces  of  my 
future  colleagues,  who,  placed  conspicuously  before 
the  public,  appeared  exceedingly  glad  to  have  sent 
their  clients  to  heaven,  and  to  have  filled  their  own 
pockets  with  gold. 

But,  alas  !  they  were  not  all  happy.  One  of  thom^ 
who  was  rather  poor  and  had  a  numerous  family,  had 
lost  the  cause  of  his  client.  I  was  sincerely  sorry 
for  the  poor  man,  and  so  were  also  many  of  his  cred- 
itors ;  but  I  could  not  pity  the  unfortunate  saint  and 
his  friends.  He  was  a  certain  Leonardo  da  Porto 
Maurizio.  Not  to  mention  that  there  was  already  an 
ancient  saint  of  the  same  name  (Leonard),  it  was  a 
fact  that  only  a  few  years  before  this  pretended  saint 
had  been  given  the  place  of  "beato  '^  (blessed),  which 
he  might  have  kept  at  least  for  some  years  longer. 
But,  through  the  fanatical  zeal  of  his  friends,  he  was 


368  THE   ROMAN    EXILE. 

induced  to  apply  for  a  better  place,  by  undergoing  a 
new  trial,  the  result  of  which  endangered  not  a  little 
his  reputation,  as  the  "  Sacra  Kota  "  declared  that  the 
miracles  which  he  was  said  to  have  performed  were 
mere  forgery. 

The  disappointed  lawyer,  however,  did  not  accept 
this  as  a  good  reason  for  exclusion,  and  tried  to 
soothe  his  grief  by  abusing  the  tribunal.  This  is  an 
ancient  habit  with  lawyers.  But,  in  truth,  I  did  not 
think  that  the  "  Sacra  Kota "  was  to  be  blamed  for 
their  caution,  especially  as,  only  a  few  years  before, 
they  had  been  shamefully  imposed  upon  in  the  case 
of  a  new  saint  called  Philomena.  A  priest,  who  came 
from  Naples  to  Rome,  applied  to  the  pope,  saying  that 
one  night  when  sound  asleep  he  saw  in  a  vision  a 
very  handsome  young  girl,  clad  in  celestial  glory,  who 
told  him  that  her  name  was  Philomena,  formerly  the 
only  daughter  of  a  Roman  patrician  in  the  time  of 
Diocletian.  The  emperor,  who  was  in  love  with  her, 
slew  her  because  she  would  not  receive  his  addresses, 
as  she  was  a  Christian ;  and  she  added  that  her  bones 
were  buried  in  a  catacomb  near  Rome,  which  she 
described  to  him  so  well,  that,  having  been  there 
formerly,  he  could  not  fail  to  find  them,  though  there 
were  many  corpses  buried  in  the  same  place. 

The  pope  was  pleased  with  this  story,  and  permitted 
the  visionary  priest  to  go  and  take  the  bones  formerly 
belonging  to  that  handsome  girl.  The  priest  opened 
one  of  the  sepulchral  niches,  still  unexplored,  in  the 
catacombs  of  St.  Sebastiano,  and,  taking  from  it  the 
bones,  well  preserved  on  account  of  the  volcanic  nature 
of  the  soil,  applied  for  their  canonization,  as  belonging 
to  the  holy  virgin  and  martyr,  Santa  Philomena.  It 
proved  a  good  speculation  for  the  priest,  as  he  was 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  369 

generously  supplied  with  money  from  many  quarters 
for  his  pious  purpose,  and,  besides,  the  exhibition  of 
the  holy  bones  was  highly  profitable. 

Now,  Santa  Philomena  became  in  a  short  time  one 
of  the  most  fashionable  saints,  for  the  sister  of  the 
King  of  Naples,  going  to  be  married  to  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  took  with  her  that  priest  and  his 
treasure ;  and  her  zeal  for  the  worship  of  the  sacred 
bones  was  rewarded  by  a  great  miracle.  She  was 
confined,  and  the  priest  had  brought  the  holy  bones 
into  her  room,  and  was  praying  there,  when  she  saw 
a  vision.  The  bones  seemed  to  have  taken  flesh  again, 
and  presented  the  piteous  spectacle  of  a  young  girl 
just  slain.  At  this,  the  grand  duchess  was  delivered 
from  her  pains.  But  now  she  was  struck  with  the 
unlucky  idea  of  having  those  bones  arranged  in  good 
order,  and  covered  with  wax,  to  represent  the  holy 
virgin  and  martyr  in  the  shape  in  which  she  had  seen 
her. 

A  mechanical  surgeon,  commissioned  for  this  oper- 
ation, discovered  that  these  bones  presented  all  the 
characteristics  of  a  tall  and  strongly-built  man,  who 
had  attained  his  maturity.  Great  blame,  therefore, 
fell  upon  the  "  Sacra  Romana  Rota  "  for  having  omitted 
the  inspection  of  the  bones,  as,  in  that  case,  the  "  law- 
yer of  the  devil,"  through  his  knowledge  of  surgery, 
would  have  easily  discovered  the  fatal  mistake,  which 
endangered  even  the  infallibility  of  the  pope.  In 
order  to  diminish  the  scandal,  it  was  said  that  it  made 
no  difference  in  heaven  whether  it  was  an  aged  man 
or  a  young  girl.  That  is  indeed  true  ;  but  who  knows 
if  that  obscure  man  deserved  to  be  enrolled  among 
the  saints  and  have  his  bones  worshipped  under  the 
name  of  an  interesting  young  lady  ?     Besides,  it  is  well 


370  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

known  that  many  poor  pagan  slaves  were  buried  in 
the  catacombs  by  their  friends,  and  sometimes  through 
the  charity  of  the  earlier  Christians.  It  is  therefore 
probable  that,  instead  of  the  fair  Jady-love  of  Diocle- 
tian, a  wretched  pagan  slave,  picked  up  dead  in  the 
road,  was  buried  there,  and  that  now  his  bones  were 
canonized,  worshipped,  and  endowed  with  the  faculty 
of  working  miracles.  All  this  through  a  mistake  of  the 
"  Sacra  Romana  Rota." 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

PROGRESS   OF   THE   ITALIAN   MOVEMENT. 

On  the  evening  of  tlie  20th  of  December,  1847, 
there  was  in  Eome  a  secret  meeting  of  many  chiefs 
of  "  Young  Italy/'  and  I  attended  it,  with  my  friends 
Fabio  and  Mattia.  We  did  not  desire  secrecy  for  our 
own  sake,  but  there  were  some  of  our  brethren  who 
had  come  privately  to  Rome  from  all  parts  of  Italy, 
and  it  was  highly  important  that  they  should  be  able 
to  go  back  safely,  and  be  unsuspected  at  home.  Cap- 
tain Lione,  one  of  them,  had  come,  at  great  risk,  from 
the  island  of  Sardinia,  where  he  was  with  his  com- 
pany ;  for  he  belonged  to  the  army  of  the  King  of 
Piedmont.  He  took  leave  of  absence  for  a  hunt,  and 
embarked  in  a  fishing-boat,  which  was  to  smuggle  him 
into  the  island  again.  He  was  a  highly  promising 
young  man,  and  died  afterwards  from  a  wound  caused 
by  an  Austrian  bullet. 

The  eldest  of  us.  Judge  Bartolo,  who  had  been 
during  many  years  an  exile  in  France  and  England, 
took  the  chair,  and  said :  "  The  constant  charge  which 
foreigners  had  brought  against  us  was  our  want  of 
union,  and  our  petty  municipal  jealousies.  Those  evils 
have  existed  in  Italy  through  the  continual  exertions 
of  our  oppressors.  But  now,  thank  God,  there  is  in 
Italy  only  the  Itahan  people, —  twenty-four  millions, — 

(371) 


372  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

all  of  the  same  race,  speaking  the  same  language, 
bound  together  by  the  same  glorious  memories,  and 
now  strongly  united  for  the  great  common  object  of 
tlibir  independence  and  freedom.  Wo  ure  all  fully 
agreed  upon  this  main  object  of  our  movement : 
everything  proves  it,  and  foreigners  themselves  are 
led  to  confes^  it,  though  unable  to  understand  the 
reason,  because  they  do  not  know  the  progress  which 
has  taken  place  in  Italy.  If  there  is  any  difference 
of  opinion  (and  there  must  be  some)  about  the  future 
political  arrangement  of  our  country,  let  the  universal 
suffrage  of  the  Italian  people  settle  the  matter ;  but 
universal  suffrage  cannot  be  applied  for  till  we  shall 
have  conquered.  Let  us,  then,  postpone  any  second- 
ary question,  and  maintain,  at  any  rate,  that  wonderful 
union  which  has  characterized  the  beginning  of  our 
present  movement." 

"  Piedmont,"  said  Capt.  Lione,  "  was  formerly  per- 
haps the  less  connected  member  of  the  great  Italian 
family ;  but  now  it  is  full  of  virgin  enthusiasm  for  the 
Italian  cause.  Our  first  triumph  over  our  despotic 
government  was  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits.  The 
union  and  firmness  which  we  showed  on  that  occasion 
frightened  the  government,  which,  having  begun  to 
yield,  is  now  at  our  disposal." 

"What  do  you  think  of  your  king,  Charles  Albert?" 
said  the  president. 

"  I  think,"  replied  Capt.  Lione,  "  that  he  fully  de- 
serves the  title  given  to  him  of  King  of  the  Jesuits. 
He  betrayed  the  Carbonari  in  1821,  and,  soon  after, 
he  went  to  fight  against  the  constitutionalists  of  Spain, 
among  whom  were  many  of  his  former  associates. 
Ten  years  after,  having  been  made  a  king,  he  abused 
his  power  to  persecute  and  kill  those  whom  he  had 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  373 

formerly  betrayed ;  and  now,  after  seventeen  years  of 
bloody  tyranny,  he  pretends  to  be  changed,  because 
he  is  afraid.  Moreover,  he  is  a  very  inconsistent  man. 
His  life,  for  instance,  is  one  of  profligacy,  but  he  fasts 
to  make  atonement  for  this,  and  then  both  of  these 
causes  contribute  to  ruin  his  health  and  injure  his 
character." 

"Do  you  think  that  he  will  be  forced  to  give  a  po- 
litical constitution  to  his  subjects  ?  " 

"  He  cannot  help  it ;  and  you  will  hear  of  this  con- 
cession in  a  few  days.  The  people  will  accept  it  as 
preparatory  means  of  further  progress." 

"  Such  is  exactly  the  case  in  Tuscany  also,"  said 
Atto  Fiorentino.  "The  grand  duke  is  afraid,  and 
therefore  pretends  to  be  a  great  lover  of  Italy.  He 
has  already  spoken  of  giving  a  political  constitution." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  Ferdinand  the  Second  ?  " 
said  the  president  to  Gennaro  Pece,  a  young  man 
from  Naples. 

"  I  cannot  tell,"  said  he,  "  what  will  be  the  course 
of  that  murderous  tyrant.  He  is  the  most  cowardly 
of  all  the  princes  of  Italy,  and  perhaps  the  most 
wicked  of  living  men ;  but  he  has  an  army  of  Swiss 
soldiers,  well  tried,  and  faithful  to  his  person,  and  he 
seems  to  be  determined  to  resist  and  treat  with  con- 
tempt all  the  demonstrations  by  which  his  colleagues 
have  been  frightened  and  subdued.  But  since  I  left 
Naples  an  important  event  has  taken  place.  Many  of 
the  Swiss  soldiers  have  been  embarked  for  Sicily,  be- 
cause our  brethren  of  that  island  have  sent  him  a 
chivalrous  intimation  that,  if  he  does  not  restore  to 
them  their  former  political  constitution  before  the 
12th  of  January  next,  they  will  shake  off  his  yoke  on 
32 


374  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

that  very  day.  If,  therefore,  our  brethren  should 
maintain '^ 

'^  Yes,  we  shall  maintain  our  intimation,"  inter, 
rupted,  with  much  spirit,  a  fierce-looking  young  man, 
evidently  a  native  of  Sicily ;  "  and  I  shall  embark  to- 
morrow to  assist  my  friends  in  the  battle." 

"  God  bless  your  generous  efforts  !  "  said  the  presi- 
dent ;  "  but  I  am  afraid  that  your  partial  movement 
will  be  of  no  avail.  Why  did  you  not  combine  with 
our  common  brethren  of  Naples  ?  " 

"It  makes  no  difference,"  said  the  Neapolitan, 
hastily ;  "  we  know  it  now,  and  we  shall  help  it,  on 
our  part." 

"  I  beg  to  state,"  said  a  delicate  young  man  there 
present,  "  that  Lombardy  and  Yenice  are  as  ready  as 
the  rest  of  Italy  for  a  great  movement.  The  Austrian 
soldiers  have  already  answered  with  murder  our 
peaceful  demonstrations,  but  this  only  makes  our  vic- 
tory a  necessity,  and  we  shall  conquer.  I  received 
the  wound  which  you  see  on  my  brow  in  the  lecture- 
room  of  civil  law  at  the  University  of  Pa  via,  where 
many  of  my  friends  were  slaughtered  like  lambs.  We 
shall  undoubtedly  make  a  movement,  but  you  must 
come  immediately  to  our  help." 

"  Kely  upon  us,"  was  the  answer  given  in  concert. 

After  having  arranged  the  general  measures  calcu- 
lated to  secure  unity  of  action  throughout  Italy,  the 
meeting  adjourned,  and  we  went  home,  deeply  im- 
pressed by  the  idea  that  the  general  agitation  which 
prevailed  everywhere,  during  that  momentous  year, 
would  produce  a  general  outbreak,  and  give  place  to 
events  of  incalculable  importance  in  the  approaching 
new  year,  1848.  We  were  full  of  enthusiasm  and 
hope,  mingled,  however,  with  anxiety  and  apprehen- 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  375 

sion,  much  like  an  army  on  the  eve  of  a  decisive 
battle. 

In  the  mean  time,  Pius  the  Ninth,  in  order  to  quell, 
at  least  in  part,  the  movement  for  a  political  constitu- 
tion, had  thought  proper  to  establish  a  consultative 
senate,  called  "  Consulta  di  State,''  whose  members 
were  chosen  by  himself.  We  made,  as  usual,  a  great 
demonstration  for  this  unimportant  concession,  but 
expressed  our  desire  that  it  should  be  the  first  step 
towards  the  establishment  of  a  regular  constitution. 
The  pope  was  much  hurt  by  this  request,  and,  when 
the  members  of  the  consulta  assembled  before  him  at 
the  opening  of  their  first  session,  he  spoke  to  them  in 
a  bitter  manner,  and  declared  that  the  consulta  was 
all  they  could  expect  from  him,  and  that  he  neither 
could  nor  would  listen  to  impertinent  popular  demands 
for  institutions  which  were  incompatible  with  the  free 
exercise  of  his  temporal  and  spiritual  authority.  This 
must  be  remembered  in  order  to  form  an  idea  of  his 
character ;  because,  only  a  few  days  after,  he  followed 
the  example  of  the  other  Italian  princes,  and  gave  a 
political  constitution,  which  he  swore  to  observe  and 
maintain  during  all  his  life,  and  which  he  destroyed 
as  soon  as  a  sufficient  physical  force  was  put  at  his 
disposal. 

Almost  a  month  had  elapsed  since  the  meeting  of 
which  I  have  spoken,  when  the  news  reached  Rome 
that  a  Neapolitan  man-of-war,  passing  before  the  har- 
bor of  Civitavecchia  (forty-eight  miles  west  of  Rome), 
had  hoisted  a  large  flag,  with  the  three  national  colors 
(red,  white,  and  green)  of  Italy,  had  fired  twice  all  her 
cannon,  and  given  all  the  signs  of  great  joy.  We 
imagined,  of  course,  what  the  matter  was,  and,  soon 
after,  we  learned  by  the  mail  that  the  Sicilian  move- 


376  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

ment  had  proved  successful.  The  people  made  a  tu- 
mult in  Naples  at  this  announcement ;  and  the  king 
offered  a  liberal  political  constitution,  throwing  upon 
his  ministers  all  the  blame  for  the  past  ill-treatment  of 
the  people,  which  he  had  not  known,  —  otherwise  he 
would  have  taken  such  a  step  long  before,  as  he  felt 
that  his  subjects  were  quite  prepared  for  free  institu- 
tions. 

The  people  of  Naples  pretended  to  believe  the  false 
declarations  of  that  vile  tyrant,  and  he  went  to  swear 
the  maintenance  of  the  constitution.  His  father,  too, 
had  given  a  constitution,  and  sworn  to  maintain  it  in 
the  presence  of  the  blood  of  S.  Gennaro,  who  made 
the  usual  miracle  to  show  his  approbation ;  and,  not- 
withstanding this,  he  broke  his  oath  after  having  ob- 
tained an  absolution  in  advance  from  Pope  Pius  the 
Seventh.  The  present  king,  therefore,  said,  "  I  will 
not  go  to  the  church  polluted  by  the  false  oath  of  my 
father ;  for  I  intend  to  swear  in  good  faith,  and  main- 
tain it."  He  took  the  oath,  then,  in  the  church  of  St. 
Francis  of  Paula,  upon  the  gospel,  and  in  the  presence 
of  the  "  holy  wafer."  Notwithstanding  all  this,  a  few 
months  after,  Pius  the  Ninth,  a  perjurer  himself,  was 
called  on  to  sweep  away  this  solemn  oath  from  the 
soul  of  his  "  beloved  son,"  the  King  of  Naples. 

But  the  unexpected  event  of  the  King  of  Naples 
giving  a  liberal  constitution  had  a  powerful  effect 
upon  the  other  princes  of  Italy.  The  King  of  Pied- 
mont first,  and  then  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  the 
Duke  of  Modena,  and  the  Duke  of  Parma,  offered  lib- 
eral constitutions  to  their  subjects.  Only  the  pope 
maintained  a  perfect  silence.  But  the  municipal 
authority  of  Rome,  created  by  him  ("  Tu  quoque,  fili 
mi  I ")  presented  to  him  a  respectful  but  formal  de- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  377 

mand  that  he  should  give  a  political  constitution,  as  all 
the  other  princes  of  Italy  had  done. 

Francis  Sturbinetti,  the  minister  for  the  public 
works,  happened  to  be  present  when  the  pope  received 
that  demand.  Sturbinetti  was  a  lawyer  of  great  learn- 
ing both  in  civil  and  canon  laws,  and  much  esteemed 
in  Rome  for  his  noble  and  independent  character. 
^^  Do  you  think,^'  said  the  pope,  "  that  I  can  comply 
with  this  demand,  without  violating  the  canon  laws  ?  " 

^^  The  canon  laws,"  answered  the  minister,  "  were 
made  for  the  government  of  the  church,  and  there  is 
nothing  in  them  concerning  the  temporal  government 
of  a  state." 

^'  Well,"  replied  the  pope,  "  I  will  devote  the  night 
to  prayer,  and  will  do  whatsoever  the  Holy  Ghost  may 
deign  to  inspire  me  to  do." 

Next  morning,  the  minister  Sturbinetti  again  saw 
the  pope,  who  informed  him  that,  having  received  a 
favorable  inspiration  during  the  night,  he  had  commis- 
sioned several  cardinals  to  draw  up  the  plan  of  a 
poHtical  constitution.  This  plan  was  soon  ready,  and 
the  pope  subjected  it  to  the  revision  and  approbation 
of  the  college  of  the  cardinals,  and  then  published  his 
scheme  of  a  constitution,  mentioning  that  all  the  cardi- 
nals approved  it. 

Those  political  constitutions  were  all  based  on  the 
model  of  the  French  constitution,  and  were  generally 
very  defective.  That  of  the  pope  was  perfect  non- 
sense, as  no  law  could  be  passed  without  his  free  sanc- 
tion. All  this,  however,  mattered  but  little ;  for  we 
were  as  free  as  a  people  could  desire  to  be,  and  there 
was  no  obstacle  to  our  progress.  Yet  we  could  not 
deceive  ourselves:  we  had  obtained  no  permanent 
advantage,  so  long  as  Austria  ruled  in  Italy.  All  our 
32* 


378  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

thoughts,  therefore,  and  all  our  preparations,  had  but 
one  object,  —  war  against  Austria. 

The  news  from  Milan  and  Venice  was  constantly 
of  the  most  distressing  character :  the  reign  of  terror 
was  enforced  with  unparalleled  cruelty.  But  we  felt 
sure  that  our  brothers  would  make  the  movement 
which  they  had  promised.  They  had  no  arms  at  all : 
even  their  table-knives  were  broken  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  render  them  inoffensive  weapons,  and  every 
meeting  of  more  than  three  persons,  in  private  or  in 
public,  was  fired  at  without  any  previous  warning. 
But  all  this  only  supplied  a  powerful  impetus,  —  the 
fury  of  desperation.  In  fact,  on  the  22d  of  March, 
1848,  there  was  a  general  contemporaneous  outbreak 
throughout  the  provinces  of  Lombardy  and  Yenice. 

In  Yenice  there  was  but  a  short  struggle,  for  the 
garrison,  surprised  and  frightened  to  death,  surren- 
dered to  the  revolutionists,  in  order  to  save  their  lives 
and  property.  The  small  garrisons  scattered  through- 
out the  Yenetian  territory  also  surrendered,  and  the 
revolutionists  spared  them  all.  Only  the  fortress  of 
Mantua  was  preserved  to  the  Austrians,  through  the 
intrigues  of  the  bishop  of  that  city,  who,  pretending 
to  act  as.  a  mediator  between  the  people  and  the  com- 
mander of  the  fortress,  gave  the  opportunity  to  the 
latter  of  receiving  a  strong  reinforcement. 

In  Milan,  however,  there  was  a  dreadful  contest. 
The  garrison  there  was  commanded  by  the  famous 
Marshal  Radetzsky,  and  sheltered  by  a  fortified 
castle.  There  were  twenty-five  thousand  of  the  best 
soldiers  of  Austria,  well  armed  and  well  tried,  who 
were  supplied  with  plenty  of  cannon  and  ammunition. 
The  revolutionists  had  only  sticks,  the  stones  of  the 
pavement,  and  the  furniture  of  the  houses  ;  but  they 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  379 

soon  obtained  arms  from  their  slaughtered  foes.  The 
battle  was  desperate  on  both  sides,  for  five  days  and 
four  nights,  without  any  interruption.  The  gates  of 
the  city  were  constantly  kept  by  the  Austrians ;  but, 
by  means  of  some  little  balloons,  the  citizens  sought 
to  rouse  the  country  people.  In  fact,  throngs  of 
peasants,  armed  with  their  agricultural  implements, 
began  to  appear  here  and  there  around  the  walls,  and, 
by  a  desperate  deed  of  valor,  the  citizens  obtained 
command  of  Porta  Orientale  (the  eastern  gate). 

Radetzsky,  in  this  contingency,  determined  to 
make  a  last  general  effort:  he  distributed  brandy 
freely  to  the  soldiers,  and  then  sent  them  to  the 
assault,  with  the  order  to  kill  every  soul  they  might 
meet,  and  set  all  the  houses  on  fire.  The  cruelties 
perpetrated  by  those  drunken  monsters  are  far  be- 
yond belief.  They  took  a  barbarous  pleasure  in  cut- 
ting to  pieces  the  bodies  of  delicate  ladies  and  chil- 
dren, who  had  fallen  into  their  hands,  in  order  to 
throw  them  against  the  barricades  kept  by  the  fight- 
ing men;  and,  running  their  bayonets  through  the 
bodies  of  infants,  they  hoisted  them  on  high,  and 
uttered  savage  cries  !  But  those  cruelties,  instead  of 
striking  the  people  with  terror  according  to  the  calcu- 
lations of  the  Austrian  general,  excited  the  popular 
fury,  and  drew  upon  their  authors  a  dreadful  retribu- 
tion. Even  ladies  fought  with  desperate  courage. 
One  of  them,  Sottocorni  by  name,  killed  the  soldier 
who  had  run  through  her  baby  of  three  months  old, 
and  then  put  herself  at  the  head  of  some  female 
friends  and  fought  bravely. 

At  length  the  Austrian  general  withdrew  from  Mi- 
lan with  the  bloody  remains  of  his  army,  and  sheltered 
himself  in  the  impregnable  fortress  of  Yerona,  which, 


380  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

in  connection  with  Mantua  and  Peschiera,  forms  a 
strong  military  triangle.  The  whole  of  Italy,  there- 
fore, was  free  and  independent ;  and  we  had  only  to 
prevent  the  Austrian  general  from  receiving  reinforce- 
ments, without  which  he  must  unavoidably  surrender 
sooner  or  later.  This  would  be  an  easy  matter,  pro- 
vided that  our  constitutional  princes  did  not  prove 
the  most  wicked  perjurers  and  traitors;  but  such  they 
were. 


CHAPTER   XLVI. 


THE  WAR  AGAINST  AUSTRIA. 


"  Let  US  go  and  help  our  brethren/'  was  the  general 
outcry  in  Rome,  when  the  news  of  the  glorious  deeds 
of  Milan  was  brought  there.  It  was  for  this  that  we 
had  drilled  ourselves  in  arms  since  we  had  obtained 
them,  and  our  enthusiasm  was  now  kindled  by  a  gen- 
erous example  crowned  with  success.  Who  could  put 
a  stop  to  our  movement  ? 

"  This  must  be  a  very  painful  and  embarrassing  oc- 
currence for  the  pope/'  said  my  friend  Mattia,  "  for  I 
suspect  him  of  having  constantly  maintained  the  most 
friendly  secret  intercourse  with  Austria,  while  he  was 
temporizing  with  us,  and  deceiving  both.'^ 

"That  makes  no  difference  with  us,"  answered 
Marco,  the  Venetian  painter,  now  full  of  enthusiasm  ; 
"  we  do  not  want  the  papal  benediction  in  order  to 
conquer  the  Austrians.  General  Ferrari,  an  old  and 
well-tried  soldier,  has  offered  to  lead  us,  and  I  care 
nothing  for  all  the  popes  in  the  world." 

"  I  know,"  said  Mattia,  "  that  the  pope  cannot  do  us 
any  good,  but  you  must  confess  that  he  can  do  much 
harm.  I  am  glad,  however,  that  now  he  will  be 
obliged  to  throw  off  the  mask,  and  declare  himself 
for  or  against  us.  But  I  cannot  believe  that  the  pope 
will  declare  himself  against  Austria.     She  is  the  nat- 

(381) 


382  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

ural  supporter  of  papacy,  which  no  longer  relies  either 
on  revolutionary  France  or  on  weak  and  anarchical 
Spain." 

"  You  are  much  mistaken,"  sai(J  Fabio,  laughing,  as 
he  at  this  moment  entered  the  room.  "  I  can  tell  you 
that  the  pope  does  not  at  all  oppose  our  movement ; 
nay,  he  has  appointed  General  Durando  to  conduct 
the  troops." 

"  Who  is  that  general  ?  "  said  I. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  answered  Fabio.  "  He  came  but 
yesterday  from  Spain,  and  he  says  that  he  is  a  native 
of  Piedmont." 

"We  do  not  want  him,"  said  Marco:  "we  have 
Ferrari,  whom  we  know,  and  on  whom  we  rely." 

"Do  not  be  excited,"  replied  Fabio,  still  laughing; 
"  the  pope  gives  you  Ferrari  also,  so  that  you  will  have 
two  masters  instead  of  one." 

This  conversation  was  held  in  the  drawing-room  of 
Monsignor  Muzzarelli,  the  dean  of  the  Sacra  Romana 
Eota,  a  prelate  (not  a  priest)  of  talent  and  learning, 
who  afterwards  gave  up  his  right  to  be  a  cardinal, 
threw  off  his  priestly  uniform,  and  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  revolution.  He  was  not  in  at  that  time, 
but  soon  after  came  home,  and  his  friend,  Count 
Becchi,  the  minister  of  the  pope,  was  with  him. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Monsignor  Muzzarelli  to  us, 
"  who  persuaded  the  pope  to  let  you  go  to  war  against 
Austria  ?  " 

"  Shall  we  thank  Count  Recchi  for  it?  "  said  Mattia, 
bowing  to  the  minister. 

He  disclaimed  the  merit,  and  said,  emphatically,  "  It 
was  Cardinal  AntoneUi,  whom  you  heedless  young  men 
detest  the  most  among  the  cardinals." 

"  If  so,  I  begin  to  suspect  a  snare,"  said  I, "  because 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  '  383 

'  timeo  Danaos  et  dona  ferentes.^  I  know  too  well  Ms 
whole  life  and  character,  and  feel  quite  sure  that  he 
now  affects  liberal  feelings  only  to  prepare  treason.'^ 

"  You  are  unjust,"  replied  the  minister,  earnestly, 
"when  you  speak  so.  I  also  know  his  former  life. 
But  cannot  a  man  repent  and  become  honest?" 

"  No  doubt,"  answered  Fabio,  with  a  sneer,  "  es- 
pecially if  he  has  at  hand  a  confessor  well  paid  and 
well  fed,  as  each  cardinal  has." 

The  minister  felt  hurt,  and  left  the  room.  He  was 
an  honorable  and  sincere  man,  and,  though  belonging 
to  the  "  moderate  party,"  he  was  now  in  earnest  for  the 
war,  and  dissented  from  his  colleagues,  who  thought 
we  must  wait  until  Austria  should  peacefully  withdraw 
from  Italy  on  occasion  of  the  downfall  of  the  Turkish 
empire. 

Only  three  days  were  consumed  in  organizing  our 
forces  and  setting  out  on  our  expedition,  for  we  were 
all  individually  ready.  Four  thousand  young  men, 
belonging  to  the  national  guards,  and  formed  in  three 
legions,  marched  out  first  from  Porta  del  Popolo,  and 
three  regiments  of  volunteers  followed.  Passing 
through  or  near  the  principal  cities  of  the  Roman 
State,  we  received  additional  volunteers,  and  our 
march  was  everywhere  enthusiastically  greeted.  Our 
first  general  review  was  held  in  Bologna,  only  thirty 
miles  from  the  boundaries  of  Lombardy,  and  it  proved 
very  satisfactory.  We  were  eighteen  thousand  young 
men,  full  of  ardor,  disciplined,  well  armed,  and  well 
dressed,  having  the  aspect  and  the  strength  of  a 
regular  army,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  young  volun- 
teers. 

Now  we  were  to  be  placed  on  a  war  footing,  and 
Bologna  supplied  us  with  money  and  ammunition,  as  we 


384  THE    ROMAN  EXILE. 

could  expect  nothing  from  the  pope,  and  the  regular 
supplies  which  many  of  us  received  from  our  families, 
though  freely  shared  with  all,  proved  insufficient.  It 
was  through  the  eloquent  speeches  of  our  chief  chap- 
lains, Ugo  Bassi  and  Alessandro  Gavazzi,  that  public 
sympathy  was  deeply  excited  in  our  favor.  The  latter 
was  then  a  fervent  Catholic,  and  the  pope  himself 
appointed  him  to  be  the  general  chaplain  of  the  army. 
We  took  Bassi  by  ourselves,  in  the  same  manner  that 
we  had  formerly  set  him  free,  in  spite  of  the  excep- 
tions of  the  amnesty. 

I  remember  with  deep  emotion  an  episode  connected 
with  the  speech  delivered  by  Bassi  in  the  great  Piazza 
of  S.  Petronio  in  Bologna.  I  was  there  on  duty,  to- 
gether with  many  of  my  fellows.  The  whole  of  the 
audience  were  deeply  interested  and  moved,  and  all 
of  them  laid  something  upon  a  kind  of  altar  which  was 
erected  for  that  purpose.  But  I  particularly  noticed, 
at  a  short  distance  from  me,  a  very  handsome  young 
girl,  who  seemed  to  be  enraptured  by  the  speech  of 
that  surpassingly  eloquent  man.  Her  dress  and  the 
whole  of  her  countenance  showed  that  she  had  suf- 
fered the  hardships  of  poverty  and  labor.  When 
everybody  went  to  offer  something,  she  blushed  and 
looked  disappointed :  the  poor  girl  had  not  a  penny  in 
her  pocket  or  an  ornament  on  her  person.  But,  as  if 
struck  by  a  new  thought,  she  suddenly  started,  and, 
entering  a  barber's  shop  near  by,  bade  him  cut  off  the 
whole  of  her  very  beautiful  hair,  which  she  laid  on 
the  patriotic  altar. 

It  was  only  at  this  moment  that  I  recognized  the 
features  of  the  noble-hearted  creature.  It  was  she 
who  had  formerly  been  the  favorite  servant  of  my 
dear  Enrichetta, —  the  same  little  girl  who  had  brought 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  385 

to  the  tomb  of  her  mistress,  and  handed  to  me,  the 
rose  which  I  planted  there.  She  did  not  distinguish 
me  from  among  the  other  soldiers,  and,  when  I  rec- 
ognized her,  she  was  lost  in  the  crowd.  I  inquired 
for  her  when,  some  months  after,  I  was  again  in  Bo- 
logna, and  was  sorry  to  learn  that  she  had  been 
accidentally  killed  by  a  bomb,  when  the  Austrians 
assaulted  that  city  on  the  8th  of  August  of  that  year 
(1848). 

Poor  thing !  the  same  loss  which  saddened  my  life 
deprived  thee  too  early  of  thy  good  protectress ;  but 
she  left  something  of  herself  even  in  thee. 

The  condition  of  our  revolutionary  brethren  of 
Lombardy  and  Venice  had  been  quite  changed  during 
the  few  days  while  we  were  marching  to  aid  them. 
Cardinal  Amat,  the  legate  of  Bologna,  informed  us 
that  they  no  longer  needed  our  support,  and  that  our 
presence  in  their  country  would  prove  an  embarrass 
ment.  In  fact,  as  soon  as  the  revolution  was  known 
to  have  been  successful,  both  in  Lombardy  and  Venice, 
the  King  of  Piedmont  crossed  the  river  Ticino,  at  the 
head  of  seventy  thousand  regular  troops,  and  went  to 
Milan,  declaring  that  he  came  as  a  brother  to  aid  his 
brothers  in  throwing  off  all  foreign  oppression ;  and 
then  he  strongly  garrisoned  Milan,  Venice,  and  other 
important  cities. 

This  bold  step  of  that  king,  which  appeared  to  be 
sincere  and  disinterested,  was  a  fatal  blow  to  the  rev- 
olutionary party,  who,  discountenanced  and  urged  by 
the  outcries  of  the  moderate  party,  agreed  to  a  kind 
of  compromise  by  which  all  questions  concerning  the 
future  government  of  Italy  were  postponed  till  the  end 
of  the  war.  But  Charles  Albert,  the  King  of  Piedmont, 
was  not  a  man  to  lose,  through  any  scruple,  such  an 
33 


386  THE  ROMAN   EXILE. 

opportunity  of  securing  the  long-coveted  possession 
of  Lombardy.  Instead,  therefore,  of  fighting  the  Aus- 
trians,  he  consumed  all  his  time  in  petty  intrigues,  in 
order  to  obtain  what  he  called  "  the  fusion  of  Lombardy 
and  Yenice  with  Piedmont."  But  the  armed  revolu- 
tionists were  a  powerful  obstacle  to  his  projects,  be- 
cause they  could  not  be  satisfied  to  see  that  the  re- 
sult of  so  great  a  revolution,  prepared  during  so  many 
years,  and  by  means  of  so  many  generous  sacrifices, 
was  only  to  augment  the  territory  of  the  King  of 
Piedmont,  the  former  traitor  and  murderer  of  Italian 
patriots.  So  that  Charles  Albert  and  his  partisans, 
thinking  but  little  of  the  Austrians,  made  it  their 
chief  object  to  get  rid  of  the  Italian  volunteers. 

In  such  an  unfavorable  state  of  things  our  little 
army  entered  the  territory  of  Venice,  which  we  found 
wide  open  to  the  Austrian  troops  coming  from  Ger- 
many; for  Charles  Albert  had  concentrated  all  his 
troops  in  Lombardy,  except  one  garrison  left  in  the 
city  of  Yenice.  It  was  of  prime  importance  to  stop 
the  march  of  these  Austrian  troops  before  they  could 
efi'ect  a  junction  with  Radetzsky,  who  was  anxiously 
watching  for  them  at  Yerona.  We,  therefore,  took 
up  a  military  position  on  the  river  Piave,  and  relied 
on  the  support  of  six  thousand  Tuscan  troops,  march- 
ing at  a  little  distance  from  us,  and  of  forty  thousand 
Neapolitan  soldiers,  who  had  now  reached  Bologna. 
This  force  was  more  than  we  needed,  in  order  to  send 
back  to  Austria  all  her  reinforcement,  and  to  keep  the 
Alps  against  every  foreign  invasion. 

But, .  alas !  the  Tuscan  troops,  left  alone  between 
Mantua  and  Yerona,  were  cut  to  pieces  by  twenty 
thousand  Austrian  soldiers,  almost  in  presence  of  the 
army  of  the  King  of  Piedmont,  upon  whose  support 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  387 

they  had  relied.  It  was  a  great  calamity  for  Italy,  for 
they  were  all  young  men  of  talent  and  learning,  and 
several  of  them  the  most  distinguished  scholars  of 
Italy.  One  regiment,  for  instance,  was  formed  entirely 
of  the  students  of  the  University  of  Pisa,  commanded 
by  the  professors.  Pila,  a  great  natural  philosopher, 
met  there  a  glorious  death ;  Mosotti,  a  great  mathe- 
matician, lost  his  right  hand ;  and  Montanelli,  a  lec- 
turer on  civil  law,  a  distinguished  writer,  and  a  minis- 
ter of  the  grand  duke,  received  three  wounds  with 
bayonets  and  fell  a  prisoner. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Neapolitan  troops,  who  had 
already  arrived  at  Bologna,  drew  back  by  order  of 
their  king.  Only  the  chief  general  of  that  army, 
Guglielmo  Pepe,  and  some  three  hundred  of  the  most 
distinguished  oflScers,  rebelled  against  his  order,  and 
went  to  Venice,  where  they  afterwards  made  them- 
selves exceedingly  useful.  In  fact,  the  King  of  Na- 
ples, by  an  able  plan  of  dissimulation  and  perfidy, 
prepared  a  reaction  against  the  people  ;  and,  when  all 
the  city  of  Naples  was  in  great  joy  for  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  constitutional  representatives,  on  the  15th 
of  May,  1848,  he  sent  some  Swiss  soldiers  to  imprison 
them,  and  ordered  the  general  bombardment  of  the 
city,  from  the  castles  and  the  sea.  In  this  manner 
that  "  beloved  son  '^  of  Pius  the  Ninth  succeeded  in 
restoring  his  despotic  authority  among  dreadful  ruins 
and  a  lake  of  innocent  blood.  It  was  then  he  recalled 
the  army  which  he  had  sent  against  Austria  in  order 
to  make  a  show  of  pretended  patriotism. 

Our  position  now  became  difficult  and  dangerous. 
We  were  the  only  corps  of  volunteers,  since  those  of 
Venice  and  Lombardy  had  been  artfully  disbanded  by 
Charles  Albert.     We  could  not  rely  upon  him ;  nay, 


388  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

we  must  be  on  our  guard  against  his  tricks.  Besides, 
the  Austrians  had  published  an  edict  that  "  every  cru- 
sader (as  they  called  us,  from  our  bearing  a  cross  on 
our  breasts),  taken  with  arms  in  hand,  should  be  hung 
as  a  brigand ;  '^  and  to  show  that  they  were  in  earnest, 
they  offered,  as  a  spectacle  to  us,  a  prisoner  whom 
they  had  taken  in  a  skirmish,  by  hanging  him  to  a 
lofty  oak-tree,  with  a  placard  at  his  feet,  exhibiting  in 
large  letters  the  words,  "  A  Roman  Crusader."  This 
made  us  shudder  with  horror,  inasmuch  as  that  victim 
was  our  beloved  friend  Marco,  the  Venetian  painter. 

Barbarous  as  was  this  act,  we  had  no  right  to  com- 
plain of  it  according  to  the  laws  of  nations  in  time  of 
war,  for  we  did  not  at  present  belong  to  any  govern- 
ment. In  fact,  as  soon  as  the  pope  was  informed  that 
we  had  crossed  the  river  Po  and  entered  the  battle- 
field, he  published  a  formal  declaration,  secretly  printed 
beforehand,  to  the  effect  that  our  expedition  had  taken 
place  against  his  will,  as  he  could  not  approve  the 
war  against  Austria,  because  she  was  a  faithful  Catho- 
lic nation.  Count  Recchi,  Prince  Doria,  and  all  other 
ministers  of  the  pope,  except  Cardinal  Antonelli,  im- 
mediately resigned,  disclaiming  any  participation  in 
such  shameful  treason.  A  general  popular  commotion 
took  place  in  Rome  ;  the  national  guards  took  posses- 
sion of  the  gates  of  the  city  and  of  the  castle  St. 
Angelo,  and  proceeded  to  make  all  the  cardinals  pris- 
oners in  their  own  palaces.  Cardinal  Delia  Genga 
made  his  escape  in  disguise,  but,  on  being  recognized, 
was  again  taken  prisoner.  The  palace  of  the  pope 
was  also  in  the  power  of  the  national  guards,  and  no 
doubt  the  pope  would  have  been  then  deposed,  had 
not  Terenzio  Mammiani  interfered,  by  saying  that  it 
would  ruin  the  Italian  movement. 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  389 

This  news  reached  us  just  on  the  eve  of  our  first 
battle  against  the  Austrians.  At  that  moment  I  was 
in  a  detached  service,  about  a  mile  in  front  of  our 
avant-guard,  and,  being  then  only  a  corporal,  had  with 
me  seven  soldiers.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  our 
captain,  who  was  my  friend  Mattia,  came  up  to  me 
with  the  whole  of  our  company,  as  he  had  been  or- 
dered to  establish  an  ambush  at  that  point.  He  had 
with  him  my  two  brothers  and  the  eldest  brother  of 
my  mother.  They  belonged  to  another  company,  but 
they  had  volunteered  for  this  service,  in  order  to  be 
with  Mattia  and  me  in  that  dangerous  position. 

"  Here  is  the  second  part  of  the  cunning  counsel 
of  Cardinal  Antonelli,"  said  I,  when  Mattia  told  me 
the  news  from  Rome.  "The  good  minister  Recchi 
knew  only  the  first  part;  but  I  felt  sure  that  there 
was  a  concealed  snare.  Now  it  is  evident  that  Car- 
dinal Antonelli  said  to  the  pope,  *Let  those  ardent 
young  men  go  out ;  the  Austrians  will  dispose  of  them, 
and  then  it  will  be  less  dangerous  to  throw  off  the 
mask  in  Rome.' " 

"  It  does  us  no  good  now,"  observed  Mattia,  "  that 
you  foresaw  this,  since  we  are  now  really  in  the 
snare." 

"  I  have  heard,"  said  my  brother  Henry,  "  that  the 
pope  has  made  Mammiani  his  minister,  and  sent  Mon- 
signor  Morichini  to  Vienna  with  a  secret  mission,  and 
a  certain  Dr.  Farini  to  Charles  Albert,  also  with  a 
secret  mission.  Perhaps  the  pope  intends  to  do  some- 
thing good  in  order  to  appease  the  popular  fury." 

"  I  am  sure  that  he  meditates  another  treason,"  said 
I,  "  for  I  know  that  Dr.  Farini.  He  is  a  renegade  of 
our  party,  who  acquired  the  confidence  of  the  pope 
33* 


390  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

by  the  basest  means.  He  is  a  man  fit  for  any  kind  of 
meanness." 

'^  Dr.  Farini  had  arrived  in  great  haste,"  said  Mattia, 
"  at  our  head-quarters,  just  as  I  went  there  to  receive 
orders  for  this  night.  He  had  a  short  conference  with 
General  Durando,  and  then  left  immediately  for  Lom- 
bardy." 

During  this  conversation,  my  uncle  John  Paul  (such 
was  his  name)  sat  quietly  smoking  his  pipe,  and  from 
time  to  time  put  his  ear  to  the  ground,  listening ;  and 
now,  rising  abruptly,  said,  "  Take  up  your  arms,  and 
be  silent,  for  I  have  heard  a  distant  noise,  which  ap- 
pears to  be  that  of  soldiers  marching."  And,  listen- 
ing again,  he  after  a  little  while  added,  "  It  is  a  carriage 
coming  at  full  speed." 

In  fact,  we  afterwards  heard  the  noise  distinctly, 
and  saw  the  carriage. 

"  Stop  it,"  said  Mattia ;  "  it  must  be  some  spy." 

"  Surely  a  spy,"  exclaimed  the  corporal,  after  having 
stopped  the  carriage,  "  for  it  is  a  lady,  with  only  her 
servant,  who  does  not  speak  Italian.  She  must  be  a 
German  spy." 

Mattia  went  to  the  carriage,  and  addressed  the  lady 
in  German,  which  she  did  not  understand.  She  said 
something,  evidently  in  English ;  but  he  did  not  know 
that  language,  and  told  her  in  French  that  she  was 
suspected  to  be  a  spy. 

"  No  I  "  exclaimed  she  earnestly,  mingling  Italian, 
French,  and  English.  "I  am  an  American,  a  friend 
of  liberty,  and  a  lover  of  Italy."  And  she  drew  from 
her  breast,  where  it  was  concealed,  a  cockade  made 
of  the  Italian  colors,  kissed  it,  and  pressed  it  against 
her  heart. 

We  let  her  go,  of  course,  and  could  not  help  feeling 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  391 

a  sentiment  of  admiration  for  the  bold  character  of  a 
lady,  still  young,  who  travelled  alone  during  the  night 
in  a  country  troubled  by  war.  Perhaps,  however,  she 
was  not  aware  of  all  the  danger  to  which  she  exposed 
herself,  for,  besides  exciting  the  suspicion  of  being  a 
spy,  she  might  have  been  accidentally  killed,  as,  only 
two  hours  after,  the  cannonade  began  on  our  left, 
where  General  Ferrari  was  with  eight  thousand  troops. 

General  Ferrari,  on  being  attacked  by  the  Austri- 
ans,  sent  an  officer  of  his  staff  to  General  Durando, 
to  inform  him  of  the  event,  and  earnestly  to  request 
his  immediate  assistance,  as  the  Austrians,  led  by 
Welden  and  Nugent  (two  English  generals),  were 
supposed  to  be  no  less  than  twenty  thousand  strong. 
General  Durando  wrote  with  a  pencil,  upon  a  piece  of 
paper,  the  words,  "I  am  coming  in  all  haste,"  and 
handed  it  to  the  officer,  and  then  gave  orders  for  the 
march  on  our  right.  We  did  not,  of  course,  under- 
stand the  meaning  of  that  movement ;  but  we  had  no 
right  to  make  any  inquiry.  General  Ferrari  had  then 
to  cope  alone  with  the  Austrians,  which  he  did  with 
extraordinary  valor  during  the  whole  of  that  day.  At 
length,  however,  he  was  completely  defeated,  and 
retired  with  the  small  remainder  of  his  troops  into  the 
city  of  Venice. 

The  troops  who  had  defeated  Ferrari  now  came 
upon  us.  We  thrice  repulsed  their  violent  attacks 
but  could  not  prevent  their  passing  to  Yerona,  and 
consequently  they  united  with  Radetzsky.  We  were 
now  at  Vicenza,  not  far  from  Yerona,  and  our  colonels 
expressed  to  General  Durando  their  apprehension  that 
Radetzsky  would  come  upon  us  with  the  whole  of  the 
united  troops. 

"  Ho  cannot,"  answered  Durando,  "  command  more 


392  THE    ROMAN    EXILE. 

than  fifty  thousand  men ;  and  the  King  of  Piedmont 
is  now  at  his  side  with  seventy  thousand  troops. 
Should,  therefore,  Radetzsky  make  such  an  error  as  to 
uncover  Yerona,  the  King  of  Piedmont  would  attack 
him  on  his  flank,  or  cut  him  off  from  Yerona,  and  take 
that  place.  In  both  cases  there  would  be  an  end  of 
the  war." 

This  was  good  reasoning;  but  Radetzsky  effected 
the  dreaded  movement,  and  the  King  of  Piedmont 
remained  an  indifferent  and  idle  spectator,  as  if  he  had 
promised  it  to  the  Austrian  general.  The  consequence 
was,  that,  after  three  days  and  three  nights  of  dreadful 
fighting,  we  were  overwhelmed  by  numbers.  Du- 
rando  hoisted  a  flag  of  truce  on  the  first  day,  as  he 
saw  that  our  resistance  would  do  no  good ;  but  we 
threw  down  the  flag  with  our  bullets.  Our  desperate 
valor,  however,  secured  us  an  honorable  capitulation, 
even  when  a  third  part  of  us  were  lying  dead,  and  the 
rest  could  hardly  hold  their  arms.  Not  to  fight  against 
Austria  during  the  next  three  months  was  the  only 
condition  imposed  on  us.  Our  wounded  brothers 
were  to  remain  free  in  Yicenza:  the  citizens  took 
care  of  them  with  great  interest,  and  with  the  utmost 
generosity.  General  Durando  entered  immediately 
into  the  service  of  the  King  of  Piedmont. 

Among  the  wounded  was  a  colonel  of  ours.  Marquis 
Massimo  d'Azeglio,  the  popular  author  of  "  The  Chal- 
lenge of  Barletta,"  and  other  excellent  works.  He 
was  also  a  great  painter  and  a  statesman.  Though 
unable  to  conquer  entirely  the  prejudices  of  an  early 
education,  he  was  a  sincere  lover  of  the  Italian  inde- 
pendence. He  never  recovered  entirely  from  the 
effects  of  that  wound,  but  he  is  still  living. 

My  uncle,  too,  remained  in  Yicenza  with  a  broken 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  393 

leg.  He  was  now  sixty-two  years  old,  and  served  as 
a  common  soldier,  in  order  to  give  an  example  of  self- 
denial  and  discipline  to  the  young  people.  He  had 
been  in  all  the  campaign  of  Russia  with  Napoleon,  and 
lost  two  fingers  of  his  right  hand  at  the  battle  of 
Waterloo,  where  he  was  an  officer  of  the  light-horse, 
BO  that  he  was  unable  to  fight  with  a  sword,  though  he 
could  fire  a  gun. 

Now  the  turn  came  for  the  King  of  Piedmont,  who, 
in  three  encounters  against  the  Austrians,  had  con- 
stantly gained  the  victory ;  but,  in  a  fourth  battle  at 
Rivoli,  he  met  with  a  slight  disaster.  At  this,  he  re- 
tired into  Milan,  and  announced  his  determination  to 
defend  that  city,,  and,  if  need  be,  bury  himself  under 
its  ruins,  because  reinforcements  would  soon  come  from 
Piedmont.  The  people  began  enthusiastically  to  pre- 
pare for  an  obstinate  resistance,  and  spared  no  ex- 
pense and  no  sacrifice  of  property.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  king  secretly  negotiated  an  armistice  with 
the  Austrian  general,  and,  when  it  was  happily  con- 
cluded, gave  him  full  possession  of  Milan,  and  with- 
drew his  troops  into  the  boundaries  of  Piedmont.  In 
this  manner  that  heroic  city,  which,  ^yg  months  be- 
fore, when  totally  disarmed  and  bitterly  oppressed, 
had  conquered  Eadetzsky  and  his  troops,  now,  when 
garrisoned  by  over  fifty  thousand  soldiers,  was  given 
back  to  him  as  a  sheep  is  given  tied  to  a  butcher. 

The  King  of  Piedmont  promised  to  give  to  the 
Austrians  also  possession  of  Yenice,  and  gave  orders 
to  this  effect  to  General  Olivieri  and  Governor  Colli ; 
but  the  Venetian  people  discovered  the  trick  before  it 
was  accomplished,  and  made  a  movement,  which,  being 
backed  by  those  of  our  brothers  who  had  retired-  to 
Venice,  compelled  the  garrison  of  the  King  of  Pied- 


394  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

mont  to  retire :  then  the  republic  was  proclaimed  in 
Venice,  and  supported  against  the  Austrians  during 
eighteen  months. 

I  do  not  mean  that  Charles  Albert  betrayed  Lom- 
bardy  because  he  did  not  care  to  have  it  for  himself. 
Nay,  quite  the  contrary,  —  he  coveted  it,  —  but,  being 
unable  to  acquire  Lombardy  by  his  own  forces,  he 
preferred  to  take  it  from  the  hands  of  the  revolution- 
ists and  give  it  to  Austria. 

Among  the  diplomatic  letters  concerning  that  move- 
ment published  by  the  English  government,  there  is 
one  of  Lord  Abercrombie,  which  illustrates  this  mat- 
ter. "  A  successful  revolution,^'  writes  he  from  Turin, 
"  has  happened  in  Lombardy,  and  gentlemen  have  come 
from  Milan,  warning  the  king  that  a  republic  will  be 
proclaimed  there;  and,  as  it  would  compromise  the 
peace  of  his  own  State,  the  king  will  go  into  Lom- 
bardy at  the  head  of  his  army." 

Ke  went  to  extinguish  the  fire  in  the  house  of  his 
neighbor,  because  it  threatened  his  own,  and,  unable 
to  control  the  fire,  he  destroyed  the  burning  building. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

THE  POPE  IN  TROUBLE. 

The  impious  treasons  of  the  King  of  Naples,  of  the 
pope,  and  of  the  King  of  Piedmont,  were,  of  course, 
a  dreadful  check  on  the  Italian  movement ;  but  the 
national  party  did  not  consider  their  cause  entirely 
ruined  by  this  treachery.  We  had  been  induced  to 
control  for  the  moment  our  republican  feelings,  and 
accept  the  pretended  fellowship  of  those  traitors,  be- 
cause it  was  regarded  by  many  as  a  noble  sacrifice 
of  individual  opinions  for  the  independence  and 
welfare  of  the  country.  Now  the  unnatural  league 
brought  forth  its  fruits.  To  lament  our  error  was 
useless ;  so  we  took  into  our  own  hands  the  national 
cause,  endangered  as  it  was,  and  confidently  set  our- 
selves to  work  again. 

Rome  was  now  the  centre  for  the  re-organization 
of  our  forces,  scattered  and  partly  disabled  by  the 
past  storm,  but  not  destroyed.  It  was  to  Rome  that 
the  Neapolitan  patriots  sent  the  expression  of  their 
undaunted  spirit,  and  such,  also,  was  the  case  with  the 
betrayed  Lombards ;  both  were  longing  for  a  rescue. 
It  was  in  vain  that  the  pope  and  the  Italian  princes 
endeavored  to  persuade  the  people  that  everthing  wa,^ 
lost ;  they  counteracted  our  new  movement  but  feebly. 
The  pope  had  an  opportunity  to  learn  the  true  feel- 
^  (396) 


396  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

ings  of  the  people,  and  the  weakness  of  his  efforts 
against  them,  when  the  residue  of  the  Roman  legions 
came  back  after  the  capitulation  of  Yicenza. 

Rome  received  her  defeated  soldiers  as  if  they  were 
triumphant  conquerors.  "  Not  casual  success,  but 
true  valor,  deserves  honor," — this  was  the  inscription 
placed  at  the  gate  of  our  entrance ;  and  here  and 
there  was  written,  "Nothing  is  lost,  —  let  no  one 
despair  of  his  native  country."  The  pope  sent  his 
minister  of  war  to  review  the  troops  in  "  Piazza  di 
Venezia,"  and  inform  us  that  we  must  now  disband. 
"  No,  no,"  was  the  general  outcry  with  which  this  an- 
nouncement was  received ;  and  then,  there  being  no 
quarters  prepared  for  us,  we  opened  by  force  the 
principal  convent  of  the  Jesuits,  called  "  II  Gesu,"  and 
there  comfortably  established  ourselves,  like  a  victori- 
ous army  in  a  conquered  fortress;  and,  really,  the 
capture  of  that  principal  fortress  of  imposture  was  a 
conquest  by  our  people. 

The  pope  ought  to  have  excommunicated  us  for 
this  invasion  of  church  property,  but  he  dared  not  do 
it.  He  found,  however,  a  pretext  for  sending  us  far 
from  Rome.  "  Go  and  defend,"  said  he,  "  the  northern 
provinces  from  an  Austrian  invasion."  Nothing  could 
be  more  plausible  than  this,  because  he  had  succeeded 
in  disbanding  the  volunteers  belonging  to  those  prov- 
inces, and  the  Austrians,  guided  by  the  English  gen- 
eral Welden,  had  crossed  the  river  Po,  and  assaulted 
the  city  of  Bologna. 

It  was  the  7th  of  August,  1848,  when  the  Austrian 
troops  made  their  appearance  before  Bologna.  Their 
general  sent  an  intimation  to  the  citizens  to  the  effect 
that  they  should  surrender  the  city  immediately ;  he 
concluded,  "  Look  at  the  stiU  smoking  ashes  of  Ser- 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  397 

mide,  and  do  not  think  of  making  any  resistance." 
Sermide  was  a  considerable  town,  which  the  Austrians 
had  burnt  to  the  ground  three  days  before,  because 
they  had  met  with  a  strong  resistance  there.  Bo- 
logna was  a  city  of  seventy  thousand  inhabitants; 
there  were  no  troops  to  defend  it;  nay,  her  most  ardent 
young  men  had  either  been  killed  at  Vicenza,  or  were 
now  in  Venice  to  aid  the  defence  of  that  important 
place  ;  so  that  the  municipal  authority  was  not  to  be 
blamed  for  having  made  a  capitulation  with  the  Aus- 
trian invaders,  to  the  effect  that  the  Austrians  should 
occupy  the  gates,  and  other  important  places  in  the 
city,  provided  they  did  not  go  into  the  populous  quar- 
ters, nor  mingle  with  the  people. 

The  next  morning  the  Austrians  entered  the  city 
freely,  and  began  to  be  very  insolent;  and  two  officers, 
seeing  a  beautiful  young  woman,  who  was  bringing  a 
lunch  to  her  husband,  a  blacksmith,  working  in  a  shop 
near  by,  attempted  to  carry  her  by  force  into  a  hotel. 
The  infuriated  husband  came  out,  and  with  an  iron 
rod  knocked  down  and  made  prisoners  both  of  the 
Austrians.  A  scuffle  ensued,  and  soon  a  strong  regi- 
ment was  on  the  spot  in  order  to  rescue  the  two  pris- 
oners ;  but  the  people  drove  them  off  with  stones, 
and  whatever  came  to  their  hands.  The  Austrian 
troops  concentrated  themselves  at  the  "  Montagnola," 
a  beautiful  public  promenade,  but  also  a  military  posi- 
tion, and  began  to  bombard  the  city.  The  citizens 
organized  themselves  and  attacked  them. 

First  in  the  new  battle  were  the  school-boys,  called 

"Hope  Guards."     Those  httle  fellows,  from  ten  to 

'fifteen  years  old,  had  been  organized  and  drilled  for 

some  months  past  in  almost  every  city  of  Italy,  in 

order  to  make  them  good  soldiers  for  the  future ;  but 

34 


398  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

in  Bologna,  as  well  as  in  Rome,  in  Yenice,  and  wher- 
ever there  was  a  fight,  they  took  a  bold  part,  and 
proved  very  useful. 

It  was  a  dreadful  contest,  the  enemies  being  within 
the  walls,  but  at  length  the  people  conquered,  and  the 
Austrians  took  to  flight,  during  which  they  had  to 
cope  with  the  country  people,  who,  armed  with  their 
rural  implements,  had  collected  in  bands,  and  marched 
to  aid  the  city.  The  pope,  of  course,  did  not  resent 
this  invasion ;  nay,  he  afterwards  deprived  Professor 
Allessandrini  of  his  chair  at  the  university  for  having 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  defence  of  his  native 
city. 

But  this  event,  as  well  as  the  conduct  of  the  Roman 
people,  proved  to  the  pope  that  we  were  not  afraid  of 
Austria,  and  that  the  national  party  intended  to  renew 
the  war.  He  saw,  besides,  that  not  only  in  Rome,  but 
even  in  Tuscany,  in  Yenice,  and  Sicily,  the  people 
were  preparing  for  war,  and  that  the  King  of  Pied- 
mont was  not  able  to  resist  his  own  subjects,  who 
urged  him  again  to  take  up  arms.  All  this  disturbed 
the  pope  very  much,  because  it  was  evident  that 
Austria,  troubled  at  home,  and  lately  abandoned  by 
her  best  soldiers,  the  Hungarians,  would  not  be  able 
to  resist  the  Italian  movement ;  and  in  this  case  all 
was  over  with  papacy  in  Italy  forever.  The  constitu- 
tion also  troubled  the  pope  very  much ;  he  could  not 
understand  the  nature  of  that  complicated  form  of 
government ;  and  he  was  not  acquainted  with  those 
subtle  arts  of  cunning,  corruption  and  deceit,  by 
which  the  popular  representation  in  this  kind  of  bas- 
tard government  is  made  a  laughable  farce.  He  knew 
only  one  way  of  ruling,  —  that  was,  the  free  enact- 
ment of  his  own  will.     The  pope  thought  at  first  that 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  399 

he  could  preserve  his  absolute  power  by  indiscrimi- 
nately refusing  to  approve  every  kind  of  measure  pro- 
posed by  the  senate  and  by  the  elective  council ;  and 
so  he  did.  Of  sixty-eight  laws  proposed  and  voted  by 
those  deliberative  bodies,  not  one  was  approved  by 
the  pope. 

But  two  events  now  happened  to  show  him  that  a 
part  of  his  power  and  influence  was  irremediably  lost. 
Prince  Borghese,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  and 
richest  noblemen  of  Rome,  was  given  a  seat  in  the 
senate  by  the  pope  ;  but  he  declined  the  honor,  and 
presented  himself  a  candidate  for  the  elective  council, 
showing  that  he  appreciated  far  more  the  popular 
election  than  the  honor  conferred  on  him  by  the  pope. 
Soon  after,  a  foreign  nun,  from  Poland,  applied  to  the 
pope  for  aid  to  establish  a  new  convent.  The  pope 
gave  her  a  draft  for  ten  thousand  dollars  on  the  treas- 
ury of  the  State.  The  minister  of  finance,  of  course, 
could  not  pay  that  new  expense,  belonging  to  no  cate- 
gory of  the  budget,  and  not  voted  by  the  deliberative 
bodies  of  the  State.  The  pope,  on  being  informed  of 
this,  burst  into  an  excess  of  anger,  and  then  of 
despondency;  his  epileptic  convulsions  seized  him, and 
he  was  sick  for  several  days. 

At  this  time  my  friend  Fernandez,  who  had  been 
travelling  in  the  eastern  countries,  came  back  to 
Rome,  on  his  way  to  Spain,  and  was  exceedingly 
amazed  and  surprised  at  seeing  the  great  change 
which  had  happened  in  our  city  within  a  few  months. 
"  Where  are,"  said  he,  "  the  perpetual  criers  of  '  Viva 
Pio  Nono '  ?  Has  he  no  longer  a  friend  ?  Is  he  no 
more  a  great  reformer  ?  '^ 

"  When  I  spoke  to  you  of  him  some  months  ago,'^ 
said  I,  "  you  perhaps  thought  that  my  judgment  was 


400  THE    ROMAN   EXILE. 

led  astray  by  my  political  and  religious  convictions, 
which  naturally  made  me  dislike  the  triumph  of  a 
pope ;  but  you  see  now  that  my  words  were  founded 
on  truth.  ^  Viva  Pio  Nono  '  was  a  pass-word,  instead 
of  which  we  have  now  the  other,  '  Away  with  Austria/ 
and  to-morrow  perhaps  we  shall  have  '  Away  with  the 
pope.' " 

"But  tell  me,"  replied  the  Spaniard,  "is  it  not  true 
that  the  former  conduct  of  Pius  the  Ninth  produced 
a  revival  of  the  religion  of  which  he  is  the  chief?  " 

"  It  is  a  great  delusion  to  believe  this,"  answered  I. 
"  If  anything  like  it  had  happened,  do  you  think  that 
the  pope  would  have  lost  all  his  pretended  friends  and 
all  his  influence  in  one  day,  and  only  on  account  of  his 
declaration  that  he  could  not  approve  the  war  against 
Austria  ?  The  papal  system,  believe  me,  is  dead,  and 
no  one  can  revive  it.  Nay,  I  venture  to  assert  that 
the  papal  system  has  always  been  in  Italy  like  an  im- 
ported exotic,  which  never  struck  a  deep  root  in 
our  land." 

"  I  should  like  to  know,"  replied  the  Spaniard,  "with 
what  arguments  you  would  prove  this.  Italy  has 
been  the  head-quarters  of  papacy  during  almost  a 
thousand  years :  a  suflScient  period,  I  should  suppose, 
for  acquiring  full  naturalization." 

"  I  will  appeal,"  said  I,  "  to  every  impartial  reader 
of  Italian  history.  He  must  admit  that  papacy,  estab- 
lished by  foreign  invaders,  was  supported  by  foreign- 
ers against  the  constant  opposition  of  the  Italians. 
Not  to  speak  of  the  Waldenses,  who  never  submitted 
themselves  to  the  popes,  as  early  as  the  beginning  of 
of  the  11th  century  the  famous  monk,  Arnaldo  da 
Brescia,  lost  his  life  in  attempting  to  free  Italy  from 
papacy ;  and  from  that  epoch  to  our  day  no  nation  has 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE,  401 

given  so  many  martyrs  as  Italy  to  the  cause  of  reli- 
gious and  political  liberty.  Besides,  all  the  greatest 
Italian  scholars  and  statesmen,  from  Dante  to  Napo- 
leon, have  opposed  papacy,  and  proclaimed  that  all  the 
evils  of  Italy  were  caused  by  this  institution ;  and 
there  has  not  been  an  Italian  scholar  to  write  a  line 
in  favor  of  papacy." 

"I  think,"  interrupted  the  Spaniard,  "that  your 
observations  are  correct,  though  they  did  not  occur  to 
my  mind  when  I  read  your  history  and  studied  your 
literature.  I  have  seen,  however,  that  some  of  your 
modern,  nay,  living,  authors  declare  themselves  Cath- 
olics." 

"  True,  indeed ;  but  what  is  their  Catholicism  ?  It  is 
a  masked,  indefinite,  and  eclectic  philosophy,  to  be 
applied  in  a  different  degree  to  different  kinds  of 
intelligences.  The  pope  hates  that  kind  of  Catholics 
far  more  than  open  heretics.  Take,  for  instance,  Gio- 
berti,  the  most  learned  and  prominent  among  the  writ- 
ers to  whom  you  alluded.  He  is  a  Catholic  priest, 
and  has  written  many  books  in  favor  of  papacy ;  but, 
strange  contradiction,  he  is  9,  bitter  enemy  of  the 
Jesuits,  the  best  supporters  of  papacy.  He  never  says 
mass,  and  never  goes  to  confession,  though  his  conduct 
is  marked  by  temperance  and  good  morals.  Papacy 
with  him  is  a  creation  of  his  own  mind  which  can 
never  be  realized." 

"I  am  told,  however,"  interrupted  the  Spaniard, 
"  that  Gioberti  was  in  Rome  some  months  ago,  and 
the  pope  accorded  him  a  private  audience." 

"Even   this  is  true.     Gioberti  was  in  great  favor 

with  the  people,  and  the  cowardly  pope  did  not  dare 

to  refuse  him  an  interview ;  but  what  was  the  result  ? 

•The  pope  spoke  of  the  very  fine  weather,  and  then 

34* 


402  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

went  on  to  extol  the  religious  zeal  of  his  predecessor. 
Gioberti  felt  very  much  disappointed,  and  to  his 
friends  in  Paris  who  inquired  about  the  pope,  he 
answered,  ^  I  think  he  is  well  fitted  to  be  a  curate  of  a 
small  village.' 

"  You  will  see,"  added  I,  "that  Pius  the  Ninth  will 
excommunicate  Gioberti  and  condemn  all  his  works. 
I  can  foretell  this,  because  I  am  well  acquainted  both 
with  the  spirit  which  prevails  in  the  works  of  that 
philosopher,  and  the  inflexible  tenets  of  the  papal 
court ;  and  I  have  before  me  the  example  of  the  his- 
torian Cantu,  who  was  formerly  the  most  prominent 
writer  of  this  new  school.  Gregory  XVI.  a  short 
time  before  his  death  excommunicated  that  author, 
and  condemned  his  work,  the  Universal  History, 
though  openly  written  in  favor  of  Catholicism. '' 

"  What  then  will  become  of  Pius  the  Ninth  ?  '^  in- 
quired the  Spaniard. 

"I  do  not  know,"  answered  I;  "but  I  tell  you 
our  revolutionary  car  is  in  motion.  If  he  throws  him- 
self on  the  track,  so  much  the  worse  for  him,  because 
we  cannot  stop." 

So  I  thought  then:  but  the  pope  managed  to  get 
himself  out  of  trouble  by  throwing  our  car  off  the 
track  and  ruining  us. 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

A   MYSTERIOUS   DEATH. 

When  my  companions  in  arms  went  to  garrison  the 
northern  boundaries  of  the  Roman  State,  I  gave  up 
the  commission  which  I  had  held  during  the  war,  and 
remained  in  Rome ;  for  there  was  no  actual  war,  and 
I  had  just  entered  the  field  of  political  and  economi- 
cal discussions  through  the  newspapers.  My  early 
friend  Agostini  was  now  one  of  the  most  powerful 
writers,  and  it  was  under  his  guidance  that  I  began  to 
take  part  in  that  educative  mission  so  important  and 
so  difficult  at  that  moment  of  transition  from  despot- 
ism to  liberty.  This  duty  generally  devolved  upon 
young  people,  because  it  was  a  new  kind  of  literature, 
for  which  our  scholars  had  no  taste,  and  then  it  re- 
quired great  activity  and  disinterestedness,  as  the 
most  prosperous  of  our  newspapers  were  only  able  to 
pay  the  expenses  of  printing  and  the  rent  of  the 
office.  Notwithstanding  this  we  had  many  newspa- 
pers,— even  the  smallest  cities  had  them, — and  in  gen- 
eral they  were  well  conducted. 

One  morning  in  the  latter  part  of  September  of  the 
year  1848,  as  I  entered  the  office  of  Agostini,  he  in- 
formed me  that  Count  Fabbri,the  premier  of  the  pope, 
had  resigned  during  the  last  evening. 

"  Why,"  said  I,  "  it  is  scarcely  a  month  since  the 

(403) 


40-1  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

pope  appointed  him,  and  I  believe  that  he  was  the 
only  man  able  to  prevent  a  collision  between  the 
pope  and  the  people.'^ 

"  Well,"  answered  Agostini,  "  that  venerable  old 
patriot  perceived  that  he  had  been  made  minister  only 
because  the  pope  desired  to  get  rid  of  Mammiani,  and 
wanted  a  respectable  name  to  put  in  the  place  of  that 
minister,  who  had  been  almost  forced  upon  him  by  the 
people  ;  so  that  Count  Fabbri  was  in  fact  only  a  nom- 
inal minister,  while  Cardinal  Antonelli  secretly  man- 
aged everything." 

"  As  for  me,"  said  I,  "  I  should  like  to  see  the  pope 
throw  off  the  mask  at  once,  for  sooner  or  later  he  must 
come  to  it." 

"It  is  not  a  wise  and  prudent  desire,"  answered 
Agostini,  "  because  now  the  whole  of  Italy  is  in  a 
state  of  preparation,  and  our  great  contest  must  be 
regarded  as  adjourned  to  next  spring;  so  that  it  is 
expedient  in  us  to  avoid  every  open  rupture  with  the 
pope." 

"  Well,  let  him  help  himself,"  said  I ;  and,  seating  my- 
self at  a  desk,  I  began  to  write  the  third  of  a  series  of 
articles  which  I  was  publishing  on  the  importance 
of  the  education  of  women  in  Italy,  and  the  jneans 
of  promoting  it.  I  had  been  at  work  a  short  time 
when  Monsignor  Gazzola  came  in.  He  was  a  prelate 
occupying  an  eminent  oflSce  at  the  papal  court,  and 
now  he  had  just  come  back  from  a  temporary  exile 
inflicted  on  him  by  the  pope  for  having  contributed 
some  articles  to  our  newspaper.  It  was  a  kind  of  pas- 
sion with  him  to  be  a  journalist :  in  fact,  during  the 
following  revolution  he  started  a  newspaper  of  his 
own,  called  "  Positive,"  advocating  the  restoration  of 
papacy,  but  suggesting   the  abdication  of  Pius  the 


THE    ROMAN    EXILE.  405 

Ninth,  on  account  of  his  being  unable  to  govern  the 
church  in  such  stormy  times.  This  suggestion,  by 
the  by,  caused  the  ruin  of  its  author,  because  the  pope 
revenged  himself  by  condemning  him  to  imprisonment 
for  life. 

/_Monsignor  Gazzola  brought  us  an  important  piece 
of  information  given  to  him  by  Cardinal  Antonelli, 
and  we  had  the  privilege  of  publishing  it  before  all 
our  contemporaries,  which  were  inclined  to  disbelieve 
pur  statement  till  it  appeared  in  the  oflScial  paper. 
The  news  was  that  the  pope  had  given  to  Pellegrino 
Rossi  the  office  of  premier  vacated  by  Fabbri.  Agos- 
tini  himself  could  not  believe  it  at  first.  But  Monsig- 
nor  Gazzola  said,  "  I  am  quite  positive  that  such  is 
the  case ;  nay,  Cardinal  Antonelli  added  that  he  him- 
self prevailed  upon  the  pope  to  request  the  services  of 
that  extraordinary  man." 

Pellegrino  Rossi,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  been 
formerly  professor  at  the  University  of  Bologna,  and 
Pope  Pius  the  Seventh  sent  him  into  exile  during  the 
year  1818,  chiefly  on  account  of  his  religious  opinions, 
for  Rossi  was  a  Calvinist.  For  this  reason  he  found 
great  sympathy  in  Geneva,  where  he  lived  for  several 
years ;  and  the  famous  French  scholar  Guizot,  himself ' 
a  Huguenot,  gave  his  daughter,  a  pious  and  accom- 
plished young  lady,  to  Rossi  in  marriage.  After  the 
revolution  of  1830,  Rossi  went  to  France  and  attached 
himself  to  the  doctrinaire  party,  of  which  Guizot  was 
a  leader,  and  by  his  own  extraordinary  merit  obtained 
the  chair  of  political  economy,  considered  the  most 
important  of  all  at  the  University  of  France ;  and  after- 
wards the  highest  dignity  to  which  a  Frenchman  could 
aspire  was  conferred  upon  Rossi, — I  mean  that  he  was 
made  a  peer  of  France.     Only  two  foreigners  have 


406  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

received  that  dignity,  and  they  were  both  Italians,  and 
both  exiled  from  their  native  country,  —  that  is,  Rossi 
and  Bixio. 

In  1845,  the  contest  between  the  Jesuits  and  the 
universities  of  France  created  such  exasperation  be- 
tween the  two  parties  that  Louis  Philippe  determined 
to  expel  those  hated  intriguers ;  but,  finding  that  they 
had  secured  a  firm  standing,  he  applied  to  the  pope  for 
aid.  It  was  a  strange  demand  to  require  a  man  to 
give  up  the  use  of  his  right  arm  in  a  moment  of  dan- 
ger. This  difficult  mission  was  allotted  to  Rossi, 
whose  superior  talents,  insinuating  manners,  and  deep 
knowledge  of  all  the  intrigues  of  the  papal  court,  gave 
him  a  great  chance  of  success.  But  Pope  Gregory 
XYI.  was  exceedingly  incensed  that  a  rebellious  sub- 
ject of  his,  and  a  Calvinist,  should  come  to  him  and 
require  the  honors  due  to  a  plenipotentiary  ambassa- 
dor of  a  great  nation,  whose  king  enjoys  the  title  of 
"very  Christian'^  (Cristianissimo).  An  exchange  of 
bitter  notes  took  place;  notwithstanding  this,  Rossi 
proceeded  to  Rome,  but  the  pope  firmly  refused  even 
to  see  him. 

Two  months,  however,  did  not  entirely  elapse  be- 
fore Rossi  had  seen  the  pope  and  happily  accomplished 
the  object  of  his  mission.  The  Jesuits  were  ordered 
by  the  pope  to  give  up  the  contest,  pack  up  their 
things,  and  withdraw  from  France.  They  say  that 
Rossi  came  to  Rome  well  supplied  with  all  the  best 
kinds  of  wine  which  could  be  found  in  France,  and 
then  bribed  the  famous  favorite  Gaetanino,  who  kept 
the  old  pope  in  a  state  of  almost  constant  intoxication, 
and  prevailed  over  him,  as  in  many  other  instances. 
However  this  may  be,  it  is  a  fact  that  Rossi  acquired 
great  influence  at  the  papal  court,  and  used  it  con- 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  407 

stantly  against  the  Jesuits,  and  in  favor  of  the  Liberal 
cause.  When  a  Swiss  ambassador  came  to  Rome, 
asking  for  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits  from  his  native 
country  too,  Eossi  supported  his  claims ;  and  when 
there  were  tumults  in  Rome  against  the  Jesuits,  Rossi 
advised  the  pope  to  expel  them. 

TBut  now  Rossi  was  a  simple  Italian  citizen  and  a 
pardoned  exile,  because  Louis  Philippe  went  down, 
and  Rossi  refused  to  serve  the  French  republic,  which 
offered  to  confirm  him  in  his  office.  "  Now  my  native 
country,"  said  he,  "wants  the  aid  of  all  her  children." 
Consequently,  Rossi  presented  himself  as  a  candidate 
for  the  elective  constitutional  council  of  Rome,  and 
was  one  of  the  elected  for  the  city  of  Bologna.  It 
was  not  a  new  virtue  with  him :  there  is  no  record 
of  an  Italian  statesman  or  general  who  preferred  to 
serve  foreigners  when  he  could  do  something  for  his 
native  country. 

The  choice,  however,  of  such  a  man  to  be  the  pre- 
mier of  the  pope  was  a  great  mystery.  Besides  his 
religious  opinions  and  his  open  aversion  to  the  Jesuits, 
Rossi  was  known  to  be  of  those  politicians  who  advo- 
cated the  separation  of  the  temporal  from  the  spiritual 
power  in  the  person  of  the  pope.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  he,  as  well  as  Silvani,  Mammiani,  Galeotti,  and 
other  statesmen  professing  this  theory,  knew  perfectly 
well  that  the  consequence  of  its  practical  appHcation 
would  be  the  final  destruction  of  papacy,  for  it  is  a 
complicated  system,  which  admits  no  alteration ;  and 
the  temporal  power,  nay,  the  kingdom  of  Rome,  were 
declared  by  Pius  the  Ninth,  and  several  of  his  pred- 
ecessors, necessary  for  the  support  of  papacy.  Rossi 
knew  this,  and,  besides,  he  well  understood  that  papacy 
was  a  falling  and  ruined  edifice ;  but  perhaps  he  pre- 


408  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

ferred  to  let  it  fall,  and  by  its  own  weight,  fearing 
probably  that  a  violent  pull  might  produce  deplorable 
accidents. 

I  confess,  however,  that  his  temporizing  policy  did 
not  please  my  friends  and  myself.  We  urged  him 
through  the  newspapers  ;  but  respect  for  the  personal 
qualities  of  that  great  man,  and,  above  all,  the  general 
condition  of  Italy  at  that  moment,  made  us  refrain  from 
every  demonstration  which  could  cause  his  dismission. 
In  the  mean  time,  Rossi  devoted  himself  with  earnest- 
ness and  firmness  to  doing  away  with  the  most  enor- 
mous abuses  of  the  papal  administration.  He  stopped 
the  habitual  dilapidations  of  the  public  treasury,  and 
prevailed  upon  the  pope  to  lay  an  extraordinary  tax 
of  four  millions  of  dollars  upon  the  clergy,  in  order  to 
restore  a  little  his  ruined  fiDances. 

Besides  this,  the  new  minister  disregarded,  in  many 
instances,  the  privileges  of  the  cardinals  and  prelates ; 
nay,  little  by  little  he  deprived  them  of  all  the  political 
offices  which  they  exclusively  held,  and  filled  their 
places  with  young  men  of  talent,  belonging  to  the 
national  party.  My  friend  Agostini  was  given  the 
governorship  of  Fuligno,  his  native  city,  though  he 
never  applied  for  employment ;  and  even  to  me  was 
tendered  the  office  of  a  collegiate  judge.  I  declined 
it,  because  I  was  too  fond  of  my  independent  profes- 
sion of  a  lawyer ;  and  then  I  had  just  obtained  the 
professorship  of  ancient  Roman  laws  at  the  college 
of  Fano,  which  did  not  interfere  with  my  profession, 
and  was  a  step  to  a  higher  place.  Even  the  office  of 
general  director  of  police,  formerly  given  only  to  a 
prelate  already  designed  for  cardinalship,  was  con- 
ferred  by  Rossi  upon  a  young  lawyer,  a  friend  of 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  409 

mine.  I  need  not  say  that  Rossi  accumulated  on  his 
head  a  new  store  of  Jesuitical  hatred. 

On  the  15th  of  November  (1848)  there  was  to  be 
in  Rome  the  solemn  opening  of  the  second  session 
of  the  deliberative  bodies  of  the  State,  and  this  event 
was  looked  for  with  great  anxiety  by  the  people, 
because  all  the  measures  adopted  by  them  during  the 
first  session  had  been  frustrated  by  the  veto  of  the 
pope ;  and  now  the  minister  was  to  read  the  so-called 
speech  of  the  crown,  and  exhibit  his  own  programme. 
A  little  before  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  closed 
my  office  and  went  towards  the  Palace  "  Delia  Can- 
celleria,"  where  the  ceremony  was  to  be  performed. 
The  large  square  before  that  palace  was  crowded  with 
people.  I  saw  a  brilliant  equipage  crossing  the  square 
and  entering  the  large  door  of  the  palace.  It  was  the 
minister  Rossi.  I  was  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
square,  but,  standing  upon  a  piece  of  a  broken  column 
placed  beside  a  door,  I  could  easily  discover  the  large 
entrance  where  the  carriage  stopped. 

The  minister  came  out  of  the  carriage  with  two 
friends,  and  there  were  three  servants  in  gala-livery  to 
wait  on  him.  An  unknown  man  among  the  crowd 
touched  the  left  arm  of  Rossi,  who  turned  his  head 
with  a  quick  movement ;  at  this,  another  tall,  fierce- 
looking  man  plunged  a  knife  into  his  neck,  and  then 
calmly  withdrew  among  the  crowd  pressing  for- 
ward to  see  what  had  happened.  No  one  knew  the 
assassin,  and  nothing  has  since  been  heard  of  him. 
Horror  and  surprise  allowed  no  one  to  think  of  secur- 
ing him,  and  all  turned  to  the  wounded  man,  who  died 
in  a  few  minutes.  His  friend  Mammiani,  who  was 
made  minister  in  his  place,  soon  after  ordered  a  trial 
in  order  to  discover  the  assassin.  All  that  could  be 
35 


410  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

collected  was,  that  the  assassin  was  a  middle-aged  man, 
and  of  dreadful  look,  who  had  boasted  the  previous 
night  that  he  could  earn  a  thousand  dollars  the  next 
day.     He  spoke  a  bad  Sicilian  dialect. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  murder  was  commit- 
ted by  a  hired  assassin,  long  inured  to  crime.  But 
who  hired  the  assassin  ?  This  is  still  a  mystery,  and 
I  will  not  dare  positively  to  accuse  any  one.  But  I 
take  it  for  granted  that  only  great  hatred  and  great 
interest  could  have  induced  a  person  or  a  party  to 
put  a  price  on  the  life  of  that  great  man.  The  Liberal 
party  to  which  I  belonged  abhorred  such  bloody  deeds, 
and  the  whole  of  our  conduct  during  the  following 
revolution  proved  it ;  and  then  the  Liberal  party  had 
no  reason  for  hatred  against  Eossi,  —  nay,  his  conduct 
was  useful  to  them.  No  one  of  the  governors  of  the 
provinces  appointed  by  him  was  afterwards  changed 
by  the  revolutionists.  No  restrictive  measures  were 
adopted  by  Rossi  during  his  short  ministry ;  nay,  the 
censorship  of  newspapers  having  illustrations  and  car- 
icatures was  first  abolished  by  him.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances a  difference  of  opinions  could  not  produce 
a  mortal  hatred. 

What  kind  of  interest  could  urge  the  Liberal  party 
to  the  crime  of  taking  the  life  of  Rossi?  Perhaps  to 
deprive  him  of  the  ministry ;  but  there  was  nothing 
more  easy  for  them  than  to  force  him  to  resign  by  a 
simple  demonstration,  because  neither  he  '  nor  any 
other  would  have  thought  of  resisting  the  popular 
will  when  there  were  no  soldiers,  and  the  national 
guards  numbered  twelve  thousand  well-armed  young 
men.  In  fact,  the  next  day,  when  the  pope  attempted 
a  resistance,  he  had  not  a  man  with  him  excepting 
some  two  hundred   Swiss   guards.     Will,  then,  any 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  411 

impartial  man  suppose  that  the  Liberal  party  coolly,  ^ 
and  without  hatred  or  interest,  committed  that  crime JV 

A  French  writer  of  no  consequence,  called  d'Arlin- 
court,  who  became  famous  through  his  impudent' 
calumnies,  published  during  the  year  1850  that  the 
assassin  of  Rossi  was  hired  by  Charles  Lucien  Bona- 
parte, Prince  of  Canino,  and  declared  that  he  (d'Ar- 
lincourt)  had  been  shown  the  proofs  of  this  assertion 
collected  by  the  police  in  Rome.  But  the  Prince  of 
Canino  took  the  Jesuitical  liar  before  the  criminal 
court  at  Paris,  which  found  him  guilty  of  atrocious 
calumny. 

Who  were  the  bitterest  enemies  of  Rossi?  The 
Jesuits,  no  doubt,  and  their  party.  They  had  been 
successfully  opposed  by  him,  and  they  could  not  look 
upon  such  a  man,  exercising  the  utmost  power  and 
influence  at  the  papal  court,  without  feeling  alarmed  : 
it  is  but  natural.  There  was  in  Rome  the  secret  sect 
of  the  "  Sanfedisti,"  established  and  directed  by  the 
Jesuits.  The  cruel  and  bloody  tendencies  of  those 
fanatics  were  well  known,  especially  after  the  dis- 
covery of  their  dreadful  conspiracy  which  took  place 
a  few  months  before.  That  Cardinal  Antonelli  was 
false  to  the  Liberal  party,  and  belonged  to  this  infa- 
mous sect,  was  proved  by  subsequent  events,  when  he 
threw  oS  the  mask.  It  is,  then,  quite  probable  that 
Cardinal  Antonelli  suggested  the  choice  of  Rossi  with 
the  intent  of  sacrificing  him :  this  sacrifice  satisfied 
their  hatred,  removed  a  dangerous  man,  and  gave  a 
pretext  for  taking  the  cowardly  pope  away  from 
Rome. 

Cardinal  Antonelli  acquired  absolute  influence  over 
the  pope  after  the  death  of  Rossi,  and  he  is  still  his 
premier.     He  came  to  Rome  when  the  city  was  taken 


412  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

by  Frenchmen,  and  found  the  French  general  about 
to  institute  a  trial  for  the  discovery  of  the  assassin  of 
Rossi.  Cardinal  Antonelli  desired  to  have  all  the  evi- 
dence that  had  been  collected,  and  then  tried  to  destroy 
all  traces  of  that  event. 


CHAPTER   XLIX. 

THE  FLIGHT   OF  PIUS  THE    NINTH  FROM  ROME. 

When  the  news  of  the  death  of  Rossi  reached  the 
pope,  he  shut  himself  np  in  his  palace  of  the  Quirinale, 
and  gave  orders  to  his  Swiss  body-guards  to  admit  no 
one  except  Cardinal  Antonelli  and  the  foreign  ambas- 
sadors. The  colleagues  of  Rossi  in  the  ministry,  all 
inferior  and  cowardly  men,  fled  from  Rome ;  conse- 
quently, there  was  neither  a  responsible  ministry  nor 
any  kind  of  government  in  the  city.  This  did  not 
much  endanger  the  public  peace,  for  the  Roman  peo- 
ple are  fond  of  order,  and  they  are  always  ready  to 
preserve  it  by  themselves.  But  the  mysterious  death 
of  Rossi  was  suspected  by  the  common  people  to  be 
the  signal  for  an  outbreak  of  the  Sanfedisti,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Austrians;  their  plot,  discovered 
some  eighteen  months  before,  gave  foundation  for  the 
suspicion,  and  there  was  much  alarm.  But  the  na- 
tional guards  took  up  arms,  maintained  order,  and 
restored  the  confidence  of  the  common  people.  During 
the  evening,  a  band  of  heedless  young  men  here  and 
there  uttered  foolish  cries,  approving  that  bloody  deed, 
but  they  were  silenced  by  the  national  guards. 

The  next  morning,  the  sixteenth  of  November, 
1848,  the  constitutional  deHberative  bodies  of  the 
State  held  a  regular  session,  and  sent  a  deputation  to 
35*  (413) 


414  THE   ROMAN   EXILE. 

the  pope,  with  a  message  requesting  him  to  appoint  a 
new  responsible  ministry.  The  pope  refused  either  to 
see  the  deputation  or  to  receive  their  formal  message. 
This  was  an  open  violation  of  the  constitution.  At 
this  time  a  crowd  of  the  common  people  assembled  in 
the  large  piazza  before  the  papal  palace.  They  were 
totally  unarmed,  and  uttered  no  seditious  cry :  it  was 
a  peaceful  demonstration,  much  like  those  made  on 
former  occasions.  But  the  Swiss  body-guards  within 
the  palace,  now  for  the  first  time  armed  with  guns, 
fired  into  the  crowd,  who  dispersed  in  great  disorder, 
leaving  on  the  ground  two  dead  and  many  badly 
wounded.  This  bloody  provocation  took  place  by 
order  of  Cardinal  Antonelli,  who  soon  after  summoned 
into  the  piazza  before  the  palace  all  the  hired  soldiers 
of  the  pope,  who,  good  and  bad,  numbered  about  one 
thousand.  Evidently  that  cardinal,  for  some  mysteri- 
ous reason,  was  anxious  to  shed  blood. 

A  strong  body  of  the  national  guards,  and  I  with 
them,  marched  against  the  papal  palace.  The  papal 
soldiers  in  the  piazza  offered  no  resistance,  and  we 
easily  overpowered  the  Swiss  body-guards,  whom,  by 
the  by,  we  generously  pardoned.  In  this  short  strug- 
gle Monsignor  Palma,  a  private  secretary  of  the  pope, 
was  accidentally  killed  when  crossing  a  room  occu- 
pied by  the  fighting  Swiss  soldiers.  The  national 
guards  garrisoned  the  palace,  levelled  a  cannon  against 
the  private  apartment  of  the  pope,  and  then  sent  in 
the  deputation  whom  he  had  formerly  refused  to  see. 
He  was  now  very  glad  to  see  those  gentlemen,  and 
easily  complied  with  their  wishes,  appointing  a  new 
ministry,  with  Monsignor  Muzzarelli,  Mammiani,  Gal- 
letti,  Sterbini,  and  others ;  they  had  all  been  ministers 
of  the   pope   on  former   occasions   except   Sterbini. 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  415 

Peace  was  restored.  The  cannon  which  had  been 
levelled  against  the  apartment  of  the  pope  belonged 
to  him,  and  had  been  baptized  by  the  name  of  St. 
Peter ;  for  they  baptize  the  cannon  as  well  as  the  bells 
in  Rome.  Next  morning  "The  Don  Pirlone/'  a  humor- 
ous newspaper,  was  glad  to  announce  that  the  mind 
of  the  pope  had  been  entirely  changed  by  a  miracle 
of  St.  Peter. 

"  It  was  an  act  of  open  violence  on  your  part/'  ob- 
served my  friend,  the  Belgian  artist. 

"  I  do  not  deny  it,"  answered  I ;  "  but  still,  it  was 
the  pope  who  was  in  the  wrong,  because  in  his  quality 
of  a  constitutional  monarch  he  must  constantly  have 
a  responsible  ministry,  and  cannot  refuse  to  receive  a 
deputation  and  a  message  from  the  constitutional 
bodies.'^ 

"  What  will  happen  next  ?  "  inquired  the  Belgian ; 
and  I  told  him  that  on  our  part  we  should  be  quiet, 
because  it  was  of  the  highest  importance  for  us  to 
keep  out  of  all  difficulties  until  the  next  spring,  when 
a  new  general  movement  would  take  place  in  Italy. 

"  But  the  pope,"  added  I,  "  will  no  doubt  feel  that 
he  has  not  a  friend  in  Rome,  and  this  bitter  discovery 
will  make  him  afraid  for  his  personal  security,  because 
he  is  a  coward ;  besides,  he  will  probably  understand 
that  now  he  has  no  business  here,  for  the  people  have 
taken  the  government  into  their  hands." 

"Would  you  detain  him  by  force  should  he  take  to 
flight?" 

"  '  A  nemico  che  fugge,  i  ponti  d'oro  '  (For  a  fugi- 
tive enemy  prepare  golden  bridges),  says  the  Italian 
proverb." 

The  pope  did  not  know  the  disposition  of  the  peo- 
ple in  this  matter ;  so  that,  having  determined  to  leave 


416  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

Rome,  he  spent  eight  whole  days  in  devising  the  means 
for  a  secret  flight.  He  would  probably  have  never 
dared  to  execute  his  plan  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
encouragement  and  aid  of  a  beautiful  Roman  lady. 
She  had  lately  married  the  old  Count  Spaur,  an  am- 
bassador of  Bavaria,  and  a  secret  chargd  d'aJBTaires 
of  Austria.  The  constant  good  conduct  of  the  pope 
in  this  respect  excludes  every  suspicion  which  his  in- 
tercourse with  that  lady  would  otherwise  excite.  She 
was  employed  by  the  foreign  diplomatists  resident  in 
Rome  to  conquer  the  natural  cowardice  of  the  pope, 
by  making  him  feel  that  he  ran  no  risk  if  accompanied 
by  her. 

The  maiden  name  of  that  cunning  and  courageous 
lady  was  Teresa  Giraud.  She  was  the  niece  of  the 
poet  Giraud,  a  popular  writer  of  comedies.  He  is 
said  to  portray  her  juvenile  character  in  a  comedy  en- 
titled "  II  FigKo  del  Signer  Padre,'^  (The  Son  of  his 
Father).  In  that  comedy  she  is  called  Teresina,  which 
is  a  diminutive  of  Teresa.  Of  course,  thirty  years 
ago  she  was  Teresina,  but  now  she  is  Teresa.  When 
she  was  Teresina  she  used  to  have  many  admirers ;  and 
afterwards  she  became  fond  of  diplomatic  intrigues, 
as  the  means  of  retaining  a  power  which  time  would 
take  away  from  her. 

The  foreign  diplomatists  resident  in  Rome  were  all 
anxious  to  take  the  pope  out  of  the  city,  but  they 
could  not  agree  about  the  place  to  which  he  should 
go.  Finally  they  yielded,  or  pretended  to  yield,  to 
the  wishes  of  the  French  ambassador.  Count  d'Har- 
court,  who  desired  to  carry  the  pope  into  France,  and 
who  kept  a  steamer  ready  for  the  purpose  at  Civita- 
vecchia, forty-eight  miles  west  of  Rome. 

At  eleven  o^clock  in  the  evening  of  November  23d, 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  417 

1848,  all  the  preparations  having  been  made,  the  pope 
requested  the  French  ambassador  to  precede  him  to 
Civitavecchia,  taking  his  trunks  with  him,  and  he  would 
folio ^v  in  a  common  travelling  post-coach,  with  the 
Countess  Spaur,  in  order  to  avoid  the  danger  of  dis- 
covery. As  soon  as  the  French  ambassador  departed 
for  Civitavecchia  the  pope  took  the  opposite  road  to 
Gaeta,  a  fortress  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  All  the 
details  of  his  flight  have  been  published  by  Countess 
Spaur,  who  took  the  most  prominent  part  in  these 
events. 

It  was  after  midnight  when  the  pope  came  out  from 
his  palace  of  the  Quirinale,  by  a  wicket  gate,  leading 
into  the  dark  and  narrow  lane  called  Scanderberg. 
He  was  in  disguise,  having  on  the  dress  of  an  ordi- 
nary gentleman,  with  a  fashionable  hat,  and  his  fme 
being  covered  with  false  hair.  The  pope  went  arm-in- 
arm with  M.  Filippani,  his  agent,  smoking  a  cigar,  and 
affecting  the  easiest  air  possible.  In  the  lane  he 
found  the  Countess  Spaur  in  her  city  carriage,  which 
he  entered,  trembling ;  he  had*  in  his  hand  a  golden 
ball  containing  the  consecrated  wafer,  that  is,  the 
real  flesh  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  the 
papal  creed.  This  is  another  evidence  of  the  super- 
stitious character  of  Pius  the  Ninth,  It  was  an  an- 
cient superstition  in  Italy  that  the  possession  of  a 
golden  ball,  containing  the  consecrated  wafer,  would 
save  from  temporal  dangers  even  the  worst  criminal, 
though  he  may  be  called  to  account  for  this  sacrilege 
in  the  world  to  come.  Many  famous  leaders  of 
brigands  were  found  to  be  owners  of  such  balls,  and 
even  Ceesar  Borgia,  called  Duke  Valentino,  the  most 
impious  man  of  his  age,  believed  in  the  efficacy  of 
such  an  amulet ;  he  constantly  had  in  his  pocket  one 


418  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

which  had  been  prepared  for  him,  with  special  cere- 
monies, by  his  father,  Pope  Alexander  the  Sixth. 
This  is  but  a  common  occurrence  with  infidels.  They 
proudly  deny  God,  and  then  they  believe  in  the  most 
absurd  superstitions. 

The  carriage  of  the  Countess  Spaur,  with  the  fugi- 
tive pope,  arrived  at  the  Coliseum,  where  Count  Spaur 
had  ready  for  them  a  travelKng  post-coach  for  two 
perst)ns.  The  countess  and  the  pope  took  their  seats 
inside,  and  Count  Spaur,  in  his  pretended  quality  of  a 
servant,  was  on  the  outside  ;  the  driver  was  on  horse- 
back, as  is  customary  for  post-drivers.  As  soon  as  they 
arrived  at  the  neighboring  gate  Latina,  or  of  St.  John 
in  Laterano,  a  sentinel  stopped  the  coach,  and  an  offi- 
cer of  the  national  guards  came  forward,  asking  for 
th^  passports. 

The  pope,  overwhelmed  by  fear,  did  not  remember 
that  this  was  only  the  usual  custom.  The  sight  of 
an  officer  of  the  national  guards  terrified  him:  he 
thought  that  he  had  been  discovered,  and  remained 
speechless  and  motionless  as  if  petri§ed.  But  his 
fair  companion,  uttering  some  words  in  German,  gal- 
lantly took  the  passport  from  his  pocket,  and  handed 
it  to  the  officer.  He  by  chance  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  her ;  but  she  had  a  veil  over  her  face, 
and  continued  to  talk  German  to  the  pope,  who  was 
not  able  to  understand  even  Italian  at  this  moment. 
The  officer  wrote  down  in  his  book:  "Half  an  hour  past 
midnight,  a  travelling  post-coach  went  out,  contain- 
ing Dr.  Sumnerkann,  a  physician  from  Monaco  in  Ba- 
varia, with  his  wife,  and  a  servant,  going  to  Gaeta,  in 
the  kingdom  of  Naples.  Their  passport  was  duly 
signed  by  the  ambassador  of  Bavaria."  And  then  the 
officer  let  them  go. 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  419 

The  officer  did  not  recognize  the  pope,  for  he  had 
changed  his  garments,  his  name,  and  his  profession, 
besides  borrowing  a  gentle  wife ;  but  aU  these  contri- 
vances were  for  nothing,  because  no  one  in  Rome 
thought  of  detaining  the  pope  against  his  will.  But 
this  circumstance  of  the  passport,  which  he  had  pre- 
pared for  Gaeta,  revealed  his  plbt  with  the  charg^ 
d'affaires  of  Austria  and  ambassador  of  Bavaria,  who 
went  with  him. 

While  they  were  rapidly  travelling  to  Gaeta,  the 
French  ambassador  at  Civitavecchia  grew  impatient, 
and  was  sincerely  afraid  that  they  had  met  with  some 
accident  on  the  road.  But  Monsignor  Delegato  of 
Civitavecchia  disabused  him,  informing  him  that  the 
pope  had  taken  the  road  to  Gaeta.  The  French  am- 
bassador went  there  by  sea  with  his  steamer,  com- 
plaining of  the  deception,  and  requesting  the  pope  to 
sail  from  thence  to  France. 

Pius  the  Ninth,  composing  his  face  to  his  habitual 
devout  air,  answered,  that  it  was  by  a  mistake  that  he 
went  to  Gaeta,  having  intended  to  go  to  Civitavec- 
chia ;  and  that  now  he  looked  upon  that  mistake  as  a 
particular  decree  of  Divine  Providence,  to  which  he 
intended  to  submit,  and  remain  there.  This  was  a 
falsehood, — probably  "  very  holy,"  because  uttered  by 
an  infallible  pope ;  but  still  it  was  an  open  falsehood. 
The  fact  of  his  taking  the  passport  to  Gaeta  excludes 
the  idea  of  going  to  Civitavecchia.  The  gate  to 
Gaeta  is  on  the  summit  of  the  Laterano  hill,  in  an 
almost  deserted  part  of  the  city,  while  the  gate  to 
Civitavecchia  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  Tiber,  near 
the  Church  of  St.  Peter,  and  in  an  open  and  thronged 
part  of  the  city.  To  mistake  the  one  gate  for  the 
other  would  be  impossible,  even  if  there  were  in 


420  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

Rome  the  fogs  of  London ;  besides,  the  officer  inspect- 
ing the  passports  could  not  allow  the  pope  and  his 
company  to  go  out  through  the  gate  Latina  if  they 
were  bound  to  Civitavecchia,  —  he  would  have  di- 
rected them  to  the  gate  Cavalleggeri. 

The  conduct  of  Pius  the  Ninth  on  this  occasion 
gives  the  best  evidSnce  of  his  character.  He  did  not 
at  all  like  to  go  to  France,  because  he  could  not  rely 
upon  the  new  zeal  of  the  sons  of  Voltaire  for  the  sup- 
port of  papacy.  But,  coward  as  he  was,  he  dared  not 
to  say  openly  to  the  zealous  French  ambassador,  "  I 
will  not  go  with  you."  The  pope  preferred  to  plot 
secretly  with  the  Austrian  representative,  and,  after 
having  deceived  the  French  ambassador,  excused  him- 
self by  a  shameful  lie,  and  threw  the  fault  upon  "  Di- 
vine Providence." 

Thus  ended  the  career  of  Pius  the  Ninth.  He  proved 
himself  false  in  all  his  conduct,  disregarded  both  his 
promises  and  his  oaths,  and  finished  by  a  base  moral 
abdication.  In  all  this  he  was  guided  by  his  natural 
cowardice.  Papacy,  being  a  dying  institution,  could 
not  inspire  him  with  energy,  nor  with  the  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice  which  some  of  his  predecessors  possessed. 
This  moral  abdication  was  followed  by  a  formal  depo- 
sition, and  from  that  moment  Pius  the  Ninth  has  been 
only  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  wicked  diplo- 
matists of  Europe.     He  will  never  again  be  a  pope. 


CHAPTER    L. 

THE   DEPOSITION   OF   THE   POPE. 

It  was  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  24th 
of  November,  1848,  when  a  notification  issued  by 
Monsignor  Muzzarelli,  and  the  other  members  of  the 
papal  ministry,  informed  the  Roman  people  that  dur- 
ing the  night  the  pope  had  fled.  This  news  caused 
general  and  unbounded  joy  among  the  common  peo- 
ple. A  great  holiday  was  observed  by  the  workmen, 
but  not  the  least  disturbance  took  place.  The  first 
use  which  the  people  made  of  their  newly-acquired 
liberty  was  to  take  out  from  the  churches  all  the 
wooden  confessionals,  and  "make  an  immense  pile  of 
them  in  the  large  Piazza  del  Popolo.  They  had  a 
particular  hatred  for  those  instruments  of  espionage 
and  corruption,  and  they  intended  to  burn  them. 

But  the  chief  of  the  papal  police  made  his  appear- 
ance, and  ordered  them  to  restore  the  confessionals  to 
their  former  places.  They  seemed  but  little  inclined 
to  obey,  when  that  officer  appealed  to  Angelo  Bru- 
netti,  commonly  called  Ciceruacchio,  the  most  influen- 
tial popular  tribune. 

Ciceruacchio  mounted    the   pile   of   confessionals, 

and  said :  "  I  formerly  thought  that  it  would  be  good 

apd  right  to  burn  these  instruments  of  corruption  to 

pur  wives  and  daughters.     But  our  rulers  are  afraid 

36  (42U 


422  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

that  the  smoke  of  this  fire  would  hurt  the  eyes  of  the 
European  diplomatists,  and  dispose  them  against  us. 
They  understand  this  matter  better  than  we  do ;  so 
let  us  obey,  and,  depend  upon  it,  now  we  are  free,  no 
one  will  go  to  the  confessional." 

Ciceruacchio  having  thus  saved  the  confessionals, 
the  people  wanted  another  victim.  They  brought  into 
the  Piazza  the  guillotine  and  all  the  instrjiments  of 
death  so  freely  used  by  the  late  pope,  burnt  them,  and 
threw  the  ashes  and  the  iron  into  the  Tiber.  This 
was  the  first  step  to  the  abolition  of  capital  punish- 
ment, which  was  afterwards  made  by  law.  The  pope, 
however,  considered  the  destruction  of  the  guillotine 
a  great  loss,  and  he  very  much  missed  it  on  his  return 
to  Rome,  inasmuch  as  he  could  not  find  there  any  one 
who  for  money  would  manufacture  another  for  him. 
But  the  Bishop  of  Marseilles  kindly  came  to  his  aid, 
sending  him  a  gift  of  two  new  guillotines,  made  in 
France,  with  all  the  modern  improvements.  On  account 
of  this  great  service  rendered  to  the  "  Holy  Mother 
Church,"  the  pope  thinks  of  creating  that  bishop  a 
cardinal  at  the  first  vacancy. 

The  news  of  the  flight  of  the  pope  caused  through- 
out all  the  Eoman  State  the  same  joy  with  which  it 
had  been  received  at  Rome ;  but  order  and  peace  were 
everywhere  strictly  preserved.  There  was  one  phrase 
which  served  to  quell  all  violent  passions  and  inspire 
the  people  with  confidence.  This  phrase  was  universal 
suffrage.  It  had  never  been  resorted  to  before  ;  but 
every  one  perfectly  understood  its  meaning.  The  self- 
exiled  pope  was  very  much  disappointed,  for  he  had 
imagined  that  his  sudden  flight,  —  leaving  the  State 
without  any  kind  of  government,  —  would  produce  a 
general  anarchy.     So  that,  blind  with  rage,  he  thun- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  423 

dered  the  "  major  excommunication  "  against  his  min- 
isters and  all  those  who  concurred  with  them  in  pre- 
serving order.  Besides,  he  declared  that  the  same 
"  major  excommunication  "  would  extend  to  all  those 
who  should  take  part  in  the  anticipated  "universal 
suffrage." 

The  papal  bull  containing  the  excommunication  was 
sent  by  Cardinal  Antonelli  to  all  the  bishops  of  the 
Roman  State,  ordering  them  to  publish  it  at  the  time 
of  our  elections.  But  they  seemed  not  at  all  inclined 
to  run  any  risk  for  the  sake  of  a  pope  who,  after  a 
cowardly  flight,  was  now  thundering  from  a  secure 
place.  By  chance  we  discovered  a  copy  of  the  bull, 
and  we  immediately  gave  it  the  widest  possible  circu- 
lation, because  we  anticipated  the  effect  it  would  pro- 
duce among  our  people.  In  fact,  even  those  who 
would  probably  have  neglected  the  exercise  of  their 
new  right  of  voting,  now  went  to  the  polls,  in  order  to 
show  their  contempt  for  the  papal  excommunication. 
Out  of  a  population  of  two  millions  and  a  half,  three 
hundred  and  fifty-five  thousand  voters  attended  the 
polls.  I  have  seen  the  elections  in  France,  in  Swit- 
zerland, in  Belgium,  in  England,  and  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  yet  I  never  saw  them  con- 
ducted in  a  more  calm,  dignified,  and  conscientious 
manner  than  by  the  Roman  people  in  that  diiOScult 
exigency.  Many  distinguished  foreigners  who  were 
present  have  attested  the  truth  of  this  statement. 

Our  people  were  exceedingly  amused  with  the  old 
farce  of  the  excommunication,  repeated  now  as  if  in 
mockery  of  ancient  times.  In  Rome,  where  the  com- 
mon people  are  very  fond  of  pasquinades  and  mas- 
querades, they  made  an  immense  procession  through 
the  principal  streets,  hoisting  upon  a  large  black  ban- 


424  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

ner  a  copy  of  the  papal  bull.  They  went  to  the  Piazza 
del  Popolo,  and  there  they  made  a  solemn  mock 
funeral  in  honor  of  the  dead  excommunication.  The 
popular  tribune,  Ciceruacchio,  recited  the  funeral 
oration,  and  afterwards  the  excommunication  was  in- 
terred in  an  unclean  place. 

The  next  evening,  a  crowd  of  the  common  people 
again  gathered  in  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  and  there,  in 
a  calm  and  dignified  manner,  seriously  took  up  the 
question  of  excommunicating  the  pope.  Many  pop- 
ular orators  addressed  the  people,  and  at  last  they 
unanimously  adopted  the  resolution  presented  by 
Ciceruacchio,  to  the  effect,  that,  the  pope  having 
become  an  object  of  scandal  to  all  the  Christian  world, 
they  determined  to  cut  him  off  from  their  Christian 
communion.  This  decision  was  to  be  communicated 
to  him  by  means  of  an  address,  also  unanimously 
adopted,  in  which  occurred  this  remarkable  phrase : 
"  When  you,  sir  pope,  left  the  jcity  by  one  gate,  the 
Bible  entered  it  by  the  opposite  gate,  and  now  there 
is  no  longer  any  room  for  you.'^ 

The  representatives  of  the  people,  elected  by  uni- 
versal suffrage  throughout  the  Roman  State,  met  at 
the  Capitol  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  February, 
1849.  I  was  the  youngest  among  them.  The  assem- 
bly was  severe  and  dignified.  Its  members  seemed 
perfectly  to  understand  the  loftiness  of  their  mission ; 
besides,  they  were,  of  course,  penetrated  with  the  idea 
that  it  was  there,  in  the  same  place,  that  the  ancient 
Roman  senate  sat  to  dictate  laws  for  the  world.  I 
suppose  that  it  was  this  idea  which  made  our  assembly 
the  most  dignified  and  courageous  of  all  the  political 
bodies  assembled  during  that  revolutionary  period  in 
Europe.     Foreigners  have  constantly  oppressed  us; 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  425 

they  have  taken  everything  from  us  ;  but  our  history 
still  remains,  and  the  proud  memory  of  the  past  can- 
not be  erased  from  the  minds  of  the  Roman  people. 

The  large  hall  of  the  Capitol,  built  by  Michael  Angelo, 
not  being  yet  ready  for  our  sessions,  we  went  in  pro- 
cession to  the  hall  of  the  "  Palazzo  della  Cancelleria.'^ 
This  was  a  remarkable  procession.  Among  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people,  there  was  scarcely  one  who 
had  not  suffered  under  the  past  tyranny.  Some  of 
them  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the 
torments  endured  in  dreadful  dungeons,  and  some 
were  still  lame  from  the  heavy  chains  which  they  had 
worn  so  long.  Notwithstanding  this,  our  first  word  as 
we  met  together  was  pardon,  involving  an  absolute 
oblivion  of  past  wrongs.  What  inspired  the  victori- 
ous party,  with  so  great  moderation  ?  What  gave  the 
injured  the  strength  to  pardon?  It  was  not  philos- 
ophy, for  we  were  not  philosophers.  It  was  a  true 
Christian  spirit,  cultivated  by  our  national  association, 
''  Young  Italy." 

The  representatives  elected  by  the  people  were  two 
hundred.  They  all  belonged  to  the  more  educated 
classes.  The  lawyers  were  the  most  numerous,  and 
after  them  rich  land-holders.  There  were  only  two 
merchants.  We  had  among  us  two  Jews,  two  papal 
priests,  and  a  prelate,  but  they  were  all  learned  and 
liberal  men.  It  was  quite  remarkable  that  among  two 
hundred  representatives,  freely  chosen  in  a  country 
which  had  been  till  now  under  the  yoke  of  the  pope, 
and  where  there  was  a  numerous  and  exceedingly  rich 
clergy,  no  one  was  found  to  be  his  friend.  He  had 
fled  like  a  discovered  traitor,  and  left  not  a  friend 
behind  him.  Even  the  greater  part  of  the  lower 
36* 


426  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

clergy  were  glad  of  his  absence,  and  sympathized  with 
the  people. 

As  soon  as  the  preliminary  proceedings  had  been 
carefully  completed,  the  question  of  the  deposition  of 
the  pope  was  brought  before  the  assembly.  It  was  a 
solemn  moment.  Papacy,  loaded  with  the  crimes  of 
several  ages,  stood  before  the  representatives  of  the 
Roman  people  to  be  judged.  All  the  intrigues  of 
European  diplomacy  could  not  deter  us.  They  threat- 
ened us  with  a  violent  restoration,  and  we  knew  that 
in  this  case  we  should  be  condemned  to  death  for 
"high  treason."  But  we  felt  the  loftiness  of  the  mis- 
sion with  which  the  confidence  of  the  people  intrusted 
us ;  we  pronounced  the  condemnation  of  papacy  with 
the  conscientious  firmness  of  men  who  put  their  lives 
at  stake  when  their  convictions  and  their  duty  re- 
quired it. 

Our  decision,  however,  was  preceded  by  a  free, 
calm,  and  dignified  discussion,  which  was  protracted 
from  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  after  midnight. 
All  the  opinions  were  freely  expressed,  and  they  met 
with  general  toleration  and  respect,  but  no  one  spoke 
in  favor  of  papacy.  The  only  question  was  with 
regard  to  delaying  the  choice  of  a  new  government, 
and  this  opinion  was  supported  by  a  small  minority, 
who  supposed  that  the  King  of  Piedmont  would  renew 
the  war  in  the  spring,  and  aimed  to  make  him  a  con- 
stitutional king  for  all  Italy ;  but  even  they,  of  course, 
were  against  the  pope. 

The  votes  were  taken  individually,  and  carefully 
registered.  I  recollect  that  when  they  came  to  Mon- 
signor  Muzzarelli,  for  thirty  years  a  papal  prelate,  and 
then  entitled  to  be  made  a  cardinal,  he  rose  from  his 
seat,  and  uttered  his  affirmative  in  the  most  solemn 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  427 

and  decided  manner.  Now,  old,  blind,  and  poor,  he 
wanders  in  exile,  but  his  constancy  cannot  be  shaken. 

I  consider  the  deposition  of  the  pope  an  event  of 
capital  importance,  not  only  for  Italy,  whose  safety  de- 
pends upon  it,  but  even  for  all  mankind.  The  transient 
state  of  brutal  violence  now  existing  in  Rome  cannot 
change  our  sentence :  we  had  a  right  to  depose  the 
pope,  we  deposed  hiin,  and  it  is  forever  over  with 
papacy.  Foreign  violence  will  only  make  more  hateful 
our  memory  of  that  dreadful  institution. 

After  the  deposition  of  the  pope,  we  took  up  the 
question  of  the  new  form  of  government  to  be 
adopted ;  and  here  there  could  be  but  little  difference 
of  opinion,  for  the  Italians,  by  tradition,  by  sentiment, 
and  by  long  habit,  are  republicans.  So  that  the  prop- 
osition to  establish  a  republic  was  carried  by  all  the 
votes  except  fourteen,  which  were  cast  by  those  who 
desired  to  delay  the  resolution,  as  I  have  said  before. 

During  that  long  discussion  the  greatest  anxiety 
prevailed  among  the  Roman  people ;  they  crowded  our 
hall  and  building,  as  well  as  the  neighboring  streets 
and  squares,  waiting  in  solemn  calmness.  But  as  soon 
as  the  decree  of  the  deposition  of  the  pope  and  the 
enactment  of  the  republic  was  made  known,  they  burst 
out  into  tremendous  transports  of  joy.  It  was  after 
midnight,  but  the  whole  city  was  instantly  illuminated, 
all  the  bells  rang,  bands  of  musicians  appeared  every- 
where, and  a  procession,  embracing  almost  every  liv- 
ing soul,  carried  that  decree  through  the  city,  and 
afterwards  to  the  Capitol,  as  a  great  moral  triumph. 
It  was  not  the  manifestation  of  a  vain  joy.  It  was  the 
solemn  declaration  of  our  sacred  rights,  made  by  a 
generous  people,  who  felt  themselves  ready  to  fight 
and  bleed  for  them. 


CHAPTER    LI. 

THE   ROMAN  REPUBLIC. 

The  decree  concerning  the  deposition  of  the  pope, 
and  the  proclamation  of  the  Roman  republic,  was 
published  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  February, 
1849,  "in  the  name  of  God  and  of  the  people."  This 
was  the  formula  long  before  adopted  by  "  Young 
Italy."  The  colors  of  the  new  government  were 
green,  white,  and  red ;  the  white  part  of  the  flag  ex- 
hibiting the  motto,  "Dio  e  Popolo"  (G-od  and  the  Peo- 
ple). This  was  the  programme  of  our  movement,  and 
we  were  constantly  faithful  to  the  Christian  principles 
of  "Young  Italy."  The  sudden  passage  from  the 
papal  tyranny  to  the  most  perfect  liberty  did  not  cost 
a  drop  of  blood  nor  a  tear.  Entire  liberty,  both  in 
politics  and  in  religious  matters,  was  our  first  aim, 
and  we  were  glad  to  secure  it  for  ourselves,  as  well 
as  for  all  the  people. 

Even  our  most  bitter  enemies  cannot  deny  that 
from  the  flight  of  Pius  the  Ninth  to  his  restoration 
there  was  in  Rome  a  period  of  six  months,  during 
which  perfect  order  and  the  most  absolute  liberty 
were  maintained  by  the  people  themselves,  as  we  had 
no  standing  army.  No  one  was  imprisoned,  exiled,  or 
deprived  of  his  property,  in  consequence  of  his  polit- 
ical opinions  or  aversion  to  our  government.     There 

(428) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  429 

was  a  newspaper,  called  "  Constituzionale,"  which 
openly  advocated  the  return  of  the  papal  domination, 
and  this  newspaper  was  never  persecuted,  for  the  en- 
tire liberty  of  the  press  was  secured  by  our  consti- 
tution. 

The  former  anarchy  of  the  papal  government  had 
given  occasion  to  the  rising  of  numerous  bands  of 
smugglers,  highwaymen,  and  other  wicked  characters; 
but  as  soon  as  the  self-government  of  the  people  was 
adopted,  all  those  wicked  characters  left  the  State,  or 
reformed  their  conduct.  We  experienced,  however,  a 
great  embarrassment  on  account  of  the  ruined  condi- 
tion in  which  the  public  finances  were  left  by  the 
pope.  The  Koman  State  is  naturally  very  rich.  When 
governed  by  Napoleon,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  it  was  in  a  very  flourishing  condition.  But 
the  anarchical  domination  of  a  corrupt  sacerdotal 
caste,  inflicted  upon  that  State  during  the  year  1815 
by  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  destroyed  public  confi- 
dence, ruined  industry,  annihilated  commerce,  dimin- 
ished the  population,  and  made  the  people  unhappy 
by  an  intolerable  oppression.  This  produced  a  con^ 
dition  of  constant  war  between  the  domineering  caste 
and  the  people,  on  whom  all  the  ruin  fell,  because  the 
former  had  constantly  at  their  command  the  support 
of  foreign  armies. 

The  ordinary  taxes  which  the  pope  yearly  exacts 
from  his  subjects  are  over  ten  millions  of  scudi,  or 
dollars,  and,  besides,  they  must  pay  even  a  larger  sum 
for  the  public  works  and  for  the  salaries  of  the  judges 
and  other  officers.  Leo  the  Twelfth  wa^ the  first  pope 
who  created  a  state  debt.  It  was  during  the  year 
1828,  when  the  question  of  the  emancipation  of  the 
papists  was  agitated  in  England.    The  pope  sent  there 


430  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

two  millions  of  dollars,  which  were  probably  em- 
ployed in  corrupting  the  journalists  and  the  orators. 
From  that  epoch  to  the  flight  of  Pius  the  Ninth,  the 
public  debt  increased  to  forty-two  millions,  all  de- 
voured by  the  she-wolf,  whose  rapacity  is  never 
satiated,  being  even  more  hungry  after  having  been 
fed  than  before, —  as  Dante  says. 

But  the  balm  of  liberty  is  able  to  heal  all  the 
dreadful  wounds  which  despotism  has  inflicted  upon  a 
nation.  The  Roman  Constituent  Assembly  abolished 
immediately  capital  punishment,  and  established  the 
trial  by  jury.  An  entire  liberty,  both  in  political  and 
religious  matters,  was  secured  by  law.  The  press  was 
entirely  free.  Personal  liberty  and  private  property 
were  declared  to  be  sacred  and  inviolable.  Public 
instruction  was  entirely  gratuitous.  Religion  and 
public  morals  were  promoted,  and  there  was  no  trace 
of  socialism  or  communism  in  our  reforms.  A  rapid 
transformation  therefore  took  place,  and  in  the  spring 
of  that  year,  1849,  the  condition  of  our  republic  was 
a  promising  one.  The  subsequent  long  and  obstinate 
resistance  which  the  people  opposed  to  the  foreign 
armies  engaged  in  the  restoration  of  papacy  is  the 
best  evidence  of  their  love  for  free  institutions,  and  of 
the  strength  which  we  had  acquired  in  a  very  short 
period. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1849,  a  decree  of  the  Roman 
Constituent  Assembly  conferred  upon  the  illustrious 
Italian  patriot,  Giuseppe  Mazzini,  the  citizenship  of 
Rome,  and  invited  him  to  come  to  Rome.  Soon  after, 
the  Roman  people  elected  him  a  representative,  and 
the  Assembly  appointed  him,  together  with  Giuseppe 
Armellini  and  Aurelio  SaflS,  a  triumvirate,  to  repre- 
sent the  executive  power  of  the  government.     Maz- 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  431 

zini  in  this  new  position  showed  the  capacity  of  a 
great  statesman.  His  wise,  moderate,  and  dignified 
conduct  silenced  the  calumnies  even  of  his  most  bit- 
ter enemies.  The  great  services  rendered  by  him  on 
that  momentous  occasion  wiU  never  be  forgotten  in 
Rome  or  in  Italy. 

The  Roman  Constituent  Assembly  accepted  also  the 
services  of  another  illustrious  Italian  patriot,  General 
Giuseppe  Garibaldi,  whose  valor  and  skill  proved  of 
immense  advantage  during  the  siege  of  Rome,  which 
took  place  afterwards.  Garibaldi,  Calandrelli,  and 
other  officers,  were  engaged  in  preparing  an  army ; 
for  we  anticipated  the  renewal  of  the  national  war 
throughout  all  Italy,  and,  besides,  we  knew  the  in- 
trigues of  the  fugitive  pope,  engaged  in  preparing. a 
dreadful  war  against  us.  We  felt  quite  sure  that  Aus- 
tria and  Spain  would  take  sides  with  him,  and  attempt 
his  restoration.  But  as  for  Spain,  no  one  could  seri- 
ously contemplate  a  dangerous  efi'ort  from  that  nation, 
entirely  ruined  by  the  Inquisition,  by  the  Jesuits,  and 
by  civil  war. 

With  Austria  there  would  be  a  dreadful  contest,  no 
doubt ;  but  we  felt  confident  of  being  able  to  drive 
this  fearful  oppressor  from  Italy,  now  that  by  the 
deposition  of  the  pope  we  had  removed  the  principal 
obstacle  to  the  union  and  independence  of  all  Italy ; 
and  besides,  almost  all  the  Italian  States  were  now 
able  to  act  together  against  the  common  enemy.  In 
fact,  notwithstanding  the  great  reverses  of  the  pre- 
ceding year,  the  condition  of  Italy  was  this :  — In 
Venice  there  was  a  republic,  full  of  vigor  and  confi- 
dence ;  Sicily  was  still  free ;  in  Tuscany  a  free  gov- 
ernment had  taken  the  place  of  the  grand  duke,  who 
fled  to  Gaeta,  together  with  the  pope ;  in  Piedmont 


432  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

the  people  urged  upon  their  king  to  renew  the  na- 
tional war ;  in  Lombardy  the  revolution  was  physically 
quelled  for  the  moment,  but  not  subdued. 

Our  ruin,  however,  came  from  a  quarter  to  which 
we  were  entitled  to  look  for  help,  —  I  mean  the 
French  republic.  This  government,  established  by  a 
happy  revolution,  fell  into  the  hands  of  immoral  men, 
and  was  soon  after  shaken  by  the  internal  questions 
of  socialism  and  communism,  which  caused  much  blood 
to  be  shed.  Louis  Napoleon  conceived  the  rash  pro- 
ject of  availing  himself  of  these  internal  troubles  in 
order  to  seize  the  supreme  power.  He  was  known 
only  on  account  of  the  heedless  manner  in  which,  on 
former  occasions,  he  attempted  to  obtain  the  throne 
of  France.  This,  and  his  debased  profligacy,  made 
him  an  object  of  contempt.  But  he  had  a  party  in 
his  favor,  composed  of  the  former  admirers  of  his 
uncle,  and  he  gained  to  his  cause  another  powerful 
party,  that  is  to  say,  the  Jesuitical  party,  by  pledging 
himself  to  restore  the  pope  in  Rome. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1849,  a  powerful  league 
was  entered  into  between  France,  Spain,  and  Austria, 
in  order  to  put  down  the  Italian  movement  and  re- 
store the  pope  in  Rome.  We  had  some  hints  of  this, 
and  immediately  sent  an  ambassador  to  England  in 
order  to  entreat  that  government  to  oppose  the  league. 
England  stood  then  in  an  exalted  position :  all  the 
nations  of  Europe  except  herself  were  troubled  by 
internal  agitation,  and  she  alone  stooS  erect,  holding 
the  destinies  of  Europe  in  her  hands.  The  position 
of  England  was  so  good,  that,  without  firing  a  cannon, 
by  the  simple  weight  of  her  peaceful  influence,  she 
could  have  secured  the  triumph  of  a  liberal  policy 
throughout  all  Europe.     This  would  have  secured  a 


THE    ROMAN   EXILE.  433 

general  influence  and  a  great  benefit  to  the  English 
nation.  But  the  triumph  of  a  liberal  policy  in  Europe 
would  react  upon  England,  and  endanger  the  existence 
of  the  privileges  of  the  English  aristocracy,  which  was 
at  the  head  of  the  government.  The  English  ministry, 
therefore,  chose  to  take  the  wrong  side,  and  favor  the 
despots  and  the  pope.  This  base  abdication  of  a  noble 
mission  caused  the  moral  ruin  of  England,  and  prepared 
for  her  the  present  epoch  of  humiliation  and  danger. 

Lord  Palmerston,  a  vulgar,  ambitious  man,  whose 
unprincipled  conduct  constantly  disgraced  his  country, 
refused  to  see  our  ambassador  but  in  a  strictly  private 
audience,  and  cut  short  his  speech  by  saying,  "  Papacy 
must  be  restored  in  Rome,  because  it  is  expedient  in 
order  to  maintain  the  equilibrium  and  the  peace  of 
Europe.'' 

But  lo  !  Grod  confounds  the  counsel  of  the  impious 
man,  and  frustrates  the  plan  founded  upon  iniquity. 
The  equilibrium  is  broken,  and  there  is  no  peace  in 
Europe,  notwithstanding  that  papacy  has  been  restored 
in  Rome.  To  keep  Italy  divided  and  subdued  is  the 
great  object  of  the  European  diplomatists,  and  for  this 
all  the  European  powers,  both  Catholic,  Protestant, 
and  schismatic,  unanimously  agreed  that  the  Italian 
movement  should  be  put  down,  and  the  pope  restored 
in  Rome,  by  a  powerful  league  combined  for  the  com- 
mon interest  of  Europe. 

But  Sismondi,  who  knew  the  condition  of  Europe  a 
great  deal  better  than  the  actual  narrow-minded  and 
wicked  diplomatists,  uttered  this  famous  prophecy: 
"  There  will  be  no  peace  for  Europe  till  that  nation 
which  first,  in  the  middle  ages,  kindled  the  torch  of 
civilization  and  liberty,  shall  be  allowed  to  enjoy  even 
for  herself  the  light  created  by  her." 
37 


CHAPTER   LII. 

THE   SIEGE   OP   ROME. 

On  the  morning  of  April  26th,  1849,  a  French  fleet 
made  its  appearance  before  the  harbor  of  Civitavec- 
chia. An  officer  came  ashore  and  begged  of  the  com- 
mander of  the  city  to  be  allowed  to  land  peacefully 
an  army  which  they  had  on  board.  "  The  French 
republic/^  said  the  officer,  ^'  knew  that  you  were  threat- 
ened by  an  Austrian  invasion,  and  has  sent  an  army 
to  watch  the  progress  of  Austria  in  Italy,  it  being 
against  the  true  interest  of  France.^' 

The  commander  of  Civitavecchia  openly  expressed 
his  suspicion  that  the  French  were  coming  to  destroy 
the  Roman  republic  and  restore  the  pope. 

"  It  cannot  be,''  replied  the  French  officer,  pointing 
to  the  fifth  article  of  the  newly-adopted  French  con- 
stitution, where  it  was  said,  "  The  French  Republic 
will  never  bear  arms  against  the  freedom  of  any 
people." 

In  short,  the  French  entered  Civitavecchia  by  a 
shameful  treason,  and  immediately  proceeded  against 
Rome,  which  they  hoped  to  take  by  surprise.  So 
they  began  their  Jesuitical  work  by  Jesuitical  art. 

The  city  of  Rome  has  ever  been  considered  as 
unable  to  make  any  kind  of  resistance,  on  account  of 
its  position,  its  extent,  and  its  want  of  fortified  walls. 

(434) 


THE   ROMAN  EXILE.  435 

No  battle  or  siege  had  taken  place  at  Rome  since  the 
year  1527,  when  the  city  was  besieged  by  the  famous 
Constable  of  Bourbon,  with  an  army  of  French,  Ger- 
man, and  Swiss  adventurers,  the  most  impious  ruffians 
of  that  time.  They  were  in  the  service  of  the  em- 
peror Charles  the  Fifth,  the  fatal  destroyer  of  the 
Italian  independence  and  liberty.  The  pope,  Clement 
VII.,  who  was  the  cause  of  that  attack,  retired  into  an 
impregnable  castle,  and  abandoned  the  people  to  the 
fury  of  those  wicked  ruffians. 

The  Roman  people  organized  themselves  and  fought 
bravely  for  their  homes.  The  celebrated  artist,  Ben- 
venuto  Cellini,  killed  the  leader  of  that  army ;  but, 
notwithstanding  this,  they  entered  the  city  by  a  sub- 
terranean way,  discovered  to  them  through  the  treach- 
ery of  a  German  artist  residing  in  Rome. 

It  is  impossible  to  help  a  shudder  of  horror  while 
reading  the  description  of  the  cruelties  which  these 
barbarians  committed  in  Rome.  But  soon  after  most 
of  them  perished  there  through  a  plague,  affording  a 
new  evidence  of  the  saying  that  Italy  has  always  been 
the  tomb  of  her  conquerors.  It  was  the  last  battle 
of  the  Roman  people.  The  popes  kept  them  from  the 
use  of  arms,  and  the  Roman  youth  had  no  occasion  to 
fight  except  in  foreign  countries  and  under  foreign 
flags.     They  preserved,  however,  a  warlike  spirit. 

Now,  at  the  announcement  of  the  taking  of  Civita- 
vecchia by  a  French  army,  who  marched  at  once 
against  Rome,  the  Roman  Constituent  Assembly  imme- 
diately held  an  extraordinary  session,  and  boldly 
issued  the  following  decree :  "  The  Assembly  decides 
to  oppose  force  with  force." 

After  this,  the  Assembly  went  to  a  large  square, 
where,  in  the  mean  time,  the  national  guards  held  a 


436  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

mass  meeting.  Our  president  openly  explained  to 
them  that  not  France  alone^  but  even  Spain  and  Aus- 
tria, conspired  with  the  pope  and  the  King  of  Naples, 
in  order  to  put  down  the  Italian  movement  and  restore 
the  pope  in  Rome.  He  added  that  Russia,  England, 
and  Prussia,  approved  that  league,  and  that,  in  spite 
of  this  conspiracy  of  all  Europe  against  us,  the  Assem- 
bly had  determined  to  oppose  a  desperate  resistance, 
and  now  rehed  upon  them  for  the  execution  of  its 
decree. 

There  is  something  great  and  poetical  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  Roman  people.  At  this  intimation  no 
one  was  afraid;  nay,  almost  all  were  flattered  and 
excited  by  the  idea  of  Rome  standing  alone  against 
all  Europe.  The  popular  tribune  Ciceruacchio  ad- 
dressed the  people  ;  but  he  was  too  excited,  and  could 
say  only  a  few  words.  "  A  new  Brennus,"  said  he, 
"  and  new  Gauls,  are  again  at  the  gates  of  Rome, 
threatening  to  sell  us,  our  wives,  and  our  children, 
into  the  slavery  of  the  pope.  We  have  just  now  bro- 
ken our  chains  like  Spartacus.  Will  you  suffer  your- 
selves to  be  chained  again?"  A  terrible  cry,  "No, 
no,  never ! "  came  out  like  thunder  from  the  crowd, 
and  was  followed  by  a  deeply  interesting  scene.  All 
of  them  began  to  embrace  each  other,  as  if  it  were 
for  the  last  time ;  and  afterwards  they  took  the  way 
to  their  respective  "  rioni,"  or  wards. 

Strong  barricades  now  began  to  rise  in  all  parts 
of  the  city.  All  the  people  were  earnestly  employed. 
Men  and  youths  strove  together  at  the  hard  work  j 
women  and  children  brought  materials,  and  old  men 
gave  directions  and  encouragement.  To  direct  such 
a  general  movement,  and  to  command  the  future  pop- 
ular fight,  the  Assembly  appointed  fourteen  of  its  mem- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  437 

bers,  one  for  each  ward,  giving  them  full  discretionary 
powers,  and  bidding  them  to  defend  the  ground  inch 
by  inch. 

I  had  the  honor  of  being  appointed  as  commander 
of  the  seventh  ward,  and  I  took  my  head-quarters 
at  the  bridge  called  Sisto,  which  I  must  keep.  We 
did  hard  work  during  all  the  day,  and  even  the  night, 
in  order  to  prepare  the  barricades.  Next  morning  all 
was  ready  for  the  defence,  and  the  people  were  in 
good  spirits.  We  had  only  ten  thousand  guns,  with 
which  we  armed  the  best  fighting  men;  the  others 
were  given  pikes  and  such  kind  of  arms  as  we  were 
able  to  find. 

At  nine  o'clock  (it  was  the  30th  of  April,  1849)  a 
sentinel  placed  on  the  top  of  St.  Peter's  Church  gave 
us  the  signal  of  the  approach  of  the  French.  General 
Garibaldi,  who  stood  at  the  gate  S.  Pancrazio,  uttered 
the  cry  of  alarm  on  his  right  hand,  and  it  was  instantly 
reported  to  him  from  the  left,  proving  that  the  walls 
were  well  garrisoned. 

The  plan  of  the  French  general  was  to  arrive  at  the 
gates  of  Rome  at  nine  o'clock ;  take  the  city  in  two 
hours ;  sing  a  solemn  mass  of  thanksgiving  in  St. 
Peter's  church;  and  afterwards  joyfully  take  his  meals 
at  the  papal  palace  of  the  Yaticano,  together  with  his 
principal  officers.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  it  was  a 
fair  plan ;  but  the  French  general  had  forgotten  to 
consult  with  the  Roman  people,  who  were  too  much 
concerned  in  the  execution  of  that  plan,  so  that  he 
did  not  succeed,  through  want  of  co-operation  on  our 
part.  We  knew  that  plan  too  late,  when  we  found  it 
in  the  pocket  of  a  prisoner. 

The  key  of  Rome  is  the  Janiculum,  and  the  city 
had  ever  been  assaulted  on  that  side,  first  by  Porsen- 
37* 


438  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

na,  and  lately  by  the  Constable  of  Bourbon ;  so  that 
we  expected  that  the  first  attack  of  the  French  would 
take  place  against  the  gate  S.  Pancrazio ;  therefore 
Garibaldi,  with  the  strength  of  our  little  army,  took 
position  by  that  gate.  But  the  French  general,  hav- 
ing been  informed  by  a  spy  that  the  papal  garden  of 
the  Vatican  was  garrisoned  only  by  a  few  national 
guards,  directed  his  first  attack  against  that  place. 

The  French,  no  doubt,  are  a  fighting  people ;  they 
joyfully  and  enthusiastically  go  to  fight,  and  do  not 
care  at  all  for  what  reason  or  for  what  cause.  They 
fight  with  the  same  admirable  valor  against  the  poor 
Bedouins  in  Africa,  the  Italians  in  Rome,  their  broth- 
ers in  Paris,  the  Russians  in  the  Crimea,  and  they  will 
probably  fight  in  much  the  same  manner  against  the 
Englishmen  now  their  allies.  Besides,  the  French  sol- 
diers sent  against  Rome  had  all  been  inured  to  war 
in  Africa.  Notwithstanding  this,  a  few  Roman  cit- 
izens, ill-armed,  and  sheltered  only  by  the  wall  of  a 
garden,  repulsed  the  tremendous  attack  of  the  French. 
They  renewed  the  assault  three  times,  constantly  with 
fresh  troops,  but  the  Romans  also  received  reinforce- 
ments. 

Colonel  Calandrelli,  our  best  artilleryman,  happened 
to  be  sick  that  day ;  but  on  hearing  the  report  of  the 
cannon,  and  on  being  informed  of  the  danger  of  his 
friends  who  were  in  the  papal  garden,  he  forgot  that 
he  was  sick,  and  went  there,  with  two  small  cannon, 
served  by  the  national  guards.  These  two  cannon 
had  been  prepared  by  the  pope,  and  had  therefore 
been  duly  baptized,  one  receiving  the  name  of  St. 
Peter  and  the  other  that  of  St.  Paul.  Now  these  new 
apostles,  placed  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Calan- 
drelli, succeeded  in  persuading  the  French  that  they 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  439 

had  better  go  back  and  wait  for  a  more  propitious 
occasion  for  taking  their  meals  at  the  Yaticano. 

When  General  Garibaldi  saw  the  French  passing 
before  S.  Pancrazio's  gate  in  retreat,  he  went  out  and 
attacked  them  in  flank.  They  turned  in  front,  and 
the  battle  became  general,  in  the  open  field.  The 
French  raised  the  cry  of  war,  "  France,  France  ! "  and 
the  Romans  answered  with  the  ancient  cry,  "  Italia  e 
Roma."  The  battle  was  furiously  fou^t  on  both 
sides  till  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the 
French  began  to  be  tired  and  disheartened.  Garibaldi 
perceived  this,  and  ordered  the  movement  of  our 
reserve.  It  was  composed  of  a  regiment  called  the 
First  Roman  Legion,  the  best  of  the  Roman  youth, 
and  of  a  battalion  of  riflemen,  all  students  of  the  Ro- 
man University.  They  received  that  order  crying  out 
for  joy,  and  marched  quickly  through  the  city,  receiv- 
ing the  salutations  and  the  best  wishes  of  their  moth- 
ers, sisters,  and  lady-loves.  They  arrived  on  the  field 
of  battle  exceedingly  excited:  they  did  not  fire  a 
shot,  but  rushed  furiously  upon  the  French  with  their 
swords  and  bayonets. 

The  French  were  not  able  to  sustain  this  new,  tre- 
mendous attack :  they  turned  their  backs  and  fled  as 
quickly  as  possible.  A  great  many  were  killed,  and 
we  made  about  six  hundred  prisoners.  The  French 
general  retreated  with  the  remainder  to  a  hill  called 
Castle  of  Guido,  and  from  thence  sent  an  oflScer  to 
Rome  asking  for  an  armistice.  That  ojfficer  told  us 
that  they  had  a  great  many  wounded  soldiers,  and 
nothing  ready  to  relieve  them,  because  the  general 
had  not  contemplated  the  case  of  being  beaten  by  the 
Roman  people. 

We  granted  the  implored  armistice,  and  sent  some 


440  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

experienced  surgeons,  with  plenty  of  provisions,  to 
take  care  of  the  wounded.  On  the  next  morning 
the  prisoners  were  treated  to  a  breakfast  by  the 
national  guards,  and  afterwards  sent  back  entirely 
free.  This  noble  conduct  was  rewarded  by  an  act  of 
treachery. 

Our  joy  for  the  victory  was  unbounded.  It  was  but 
natural:  a  small,  ill-armed  people,  treacherously  as- 
saulted by  the  best  soldiers  of  Europe,  had  defeated 
them.  Besides,  the  French  had  shown  the  greatest 
contempt  for  the  Roman  people.  When  a  member  of 
the  French  Assembly  inquired  what  would  happen  if 
the  Romans  should  resist  the  army  sent  out  for  the 
restoration  of  papacy,  one  of  the  ministers  answered 
him, "  Be  not  afraid ;  the  Italians  do  not  fight  '^  (les  Ital- 
iens  ne  se  batte  pas).  This  was  a  fine  motto  (a  beau 
mot),  and  you  know  that  for  the  French  a  fine  motto  is 
worth  ten  good  reasons.  Not  so  with  us  ;  we  fought 
bravely,  and  gave  to  the  French  a  lesson  to  speak  with 
good  sense  next  time. 

This  victory  was  obtained  exclusively  by  the  Roman 
citizens ;  there  were  in  Rome  at  that  epoch  neither 
foreigners  nor  Italians  of  other  parts  of  Italy.  Some 
came  there  afterwards,  but  their  number  was  very 
small.  It  is  curious  to  hear  the  French  and  Austrian 
invaders  call  by  the  name  of  foreigners  the  Italians 
who  went  to  help  their  brethren  in  Rome. 

The  French  entertained  us  by  deceitful  projects  of 
peaceful  arrangement  till  they  could  land  another  more 
powerful  army  at  Civitavecchia,  and  then,  breaking  the 
armistice,  renewed  the  war  in  a  treacherous  manner. 
In  the  mean  time  their  allies  went  to  co-operate  with 
them.  Austria  entered  the  Roman  State  by  the  north, 
and  conquered  Bologna  and  all  our  northern  cities ; 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  441 

the  King  of  Naples  occupied  our  eastern  provinces ; 
and  a  Spanish  army  was  landed  in  the  kingdom  of 
Naples. 

Fighting  alone  against  this  powerful  league,  we  had 
neither  hope  nor  chance  of  success.  But  we  fought 
bravely,  and  resisted  till  the  last  extremity,  in  order 
to  enter  a  protest  for  our  rights  trampled  upon.  We 
signed  our  protest  with  our  blood;  and  by  these 
means  we  secured  the  future  triumph  of  our  cause. 
Papacy,  the  worst  enemy  of  Italy,  has  been  drowned 
in  our  blood ;  its  galvanized  corpse  is  now  supported 
by  brutal  foreign  soldiers  upon  their  bayonets,  but 
they  are  not  able  to  restore  it  to  life :  it  smells  to 
heaven. 

The  siege  of  Rome  has  been  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant events  of  our  epoch,  as  well  as  the  most 
impious  crime  of  the  European  diplomacy.  Its  con- 
sequences will  be  felt  during  the  approaching  crisis 
of  Europe,  and  then  it  will  be  appreciated  for  its 
real  worth.  A  description  of  that  event  would  fill  a 
book,  which  would  prove  exceedingly  interesting.  I 
could  wish  that  a  competent  person  would  bring  it 
before  the  public  in  a  true  light. 


CHAPTER    LIII. 

THE   EXILE. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1849,  the  condition  of  Rome  was 
most  deplorable.  Unable  to  keep  any  longer  our 
exterior  positions  against  a  too  numerous  army,  we 
could  not  prevent  the  French  from  approaching  the 
city  and  throwing  into  it  their  dreadful  bombs.  Be- 
sides, a  Prussian  officer  who  was  in  Rome,  having  been 
permitted  to  visit  our  lines  and  try  the  experiment  of 
a  new  kind  of  mine,  discovered  an  ancient  subterra- 
nean way,  and  introduced  the  French  into  the  city 
behind  our  lines.  A  dreadful  nocturnal  fight  took 
place  within  the  walls ;  it  was  fought  at  short  arms,  in 
a  bloody  manner.  At  length  we  succeeded  in  stop- 
ping the  progress  of  the  French.  But  our  provisions 
were  entirely  exhausted,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
fighting  men  were  wounded,  sick,  or  killed.  All  that 
valor  and  virtue  could  do  had  been  bravely  and  gen- 
erously resorted  to.     No  further  efforts  were  possible. 

The  Assembly,  considering  all  this,  issued  the  fol- 
lowing decree :  "  We  give  up  the  defence,  because  it 
has  become  impossible ;  but  we  refuse  to  capitulate, 
and  we  shall  remain  at  our  place  of  duty." 

On  the  3d  of  July  the  French  entered  the  city  in  a 
cautious  manner.  The  streets  were  silent  and  deso- 
lated ;  the  aspect  of  the  city  was  exceedingly  sad  and 

(442) 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  443 

afflictive ;  the  sun  of  liberty  had  set,  and  the  dark 
phantom  of  papacy  cast  its  dreadful  shadow  upon  the 
ruins  of  war  and  the  wretched  faces  of  the  oppressed 
people.  When  the  French  avant-guard  arrived  at  the 
Capitol,  they  found  there  the  Roman  Assembly,  engaged 
in  proclaiming  to  the  people  the  constitution  which 
had  been  adopted  for  the  republic.  The  French  sol- 
diers gazed  in  astonishment  at  that  imposing  ceremony, 
and  dared  not  to  disturb  it.  But  soon  after,  a  French 
regiment,  sent  on  purpose  by  the  chief  general,  en- 
tered the  great  hall  of  the  Capitol,  making  a  ridiculous 
display  of  force  and  courage. 

The  representatives  of  the  people  were  sitting  at 
their  places,  in  a  quiet  and  dignified  manner,  discuss- 
ing a  new  law.  The  French  soldiers,  pointing  their 
bayonets  at  our  breasts,  in  abusive  language  ordered 
us  to  leave  the  hall  and  the  city. 

"We  protested,  and  our  protest  was  this :  "  Before 
God,  before  humankind,  the  Roman  Constituent  As- 
sembly protests  against  the  abuse  of  brutal  force  by 
which  a  French  republican  army  destroyed  the  liberty 
of  the  Roman  people,  in  spite  of  all  principles  of  jus- 
tice, and  even  in  spite  of  the  fifth  article  of  their  own 
constitution.^^ 

The  brutal  soldiers  and  their  wicked  masters  laughed 
at  our  protest,  because  they  were  stronger  than  we  ; 
but  God  has  listened  to  it.  The  members  of  the 
French  Assembly  were  afterwards  imprisoned  and  sent 
into  exile  by  the  same  soldiers  by  whom  they  oppressed 
us,  and  no  one  could  pity  their  fate.  They  foresaw 
the  danger,  and  had  not  the  courage  to  resort  to  a 
remedy  :  cowards,  they  died  through  fear  of  dying. 

God,  who  visited  with  a  severe  retribution  our  op- 
pressors  and  their  accomplices,  will  no  doubt  look 


444  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

mercifully  upon  our  misery,  and  upon  our  faith  in  his 
eternal  justice.  The  future  is  not  for  papacy ;  it  is 
for  Italy. 

Now  it  was  anticipated  that  the  papal  vengeance 
would  be  boundless.  Cardinal  Kichelieu,  a  papal 
priest,  wrote  this  sentence :  "  A  priest  never  par- 
dons ;  '^  and  we  knew  the  practical  truth  of  it.  But 
the  French  general,  according  to  the  orders  of  Louis 
Napoleon,  did  not  restore  immediately  the  papal  gov- 
ernment. There  was  a  period  of  twenty-four  hours 
during  which  all  that  would  and  could  make  their 
escape  met  no  opposition ;  for  Louis  Napoleon 
dreaded  the  murmurs  which  the  bloody  papal  ven- 
geance would  excite  throughout  all  Europe.  But  his 
caution  proved  useless.  The  pope,  unable  to  reach 
the  principal  agents  of  the  revolution,  who  had  made 
their  escape,  laid  his  hands  upon  the  secondary  agents 
with  the  utmost  cruelty.  A  conservative  newspaper 
of  Florence,  under  censorship  of  the  Austrians,  pub- 
lished during  the  year  1851  the  statistics  of  the 
victims  of  the  papal  restoration.  Six  thousand  were 
the  lives  destroyed  during  the  war.  Two  hundred 
and  thirty  people  were  executed  during  the  first 
two  years  of  the  papal  restoration,  besides  those 
who  died  in  the  prisons,  over-filled  with  eight  thousand 
prisoners.  The  number  of  the  exiles  was  over  twenty 
thousand,  including  those  who  fled  through  fear  of 
being  persecuted.  There  was  no  example  in  history 
of  a  more  extensive  vengeance  executed  by  a  re- 
stored king. 

The  sudden  flight  of  so  many  people  was  a  distress- 
ing spectacle.  We  Italians  are  very  fond  of  home. 
We  travel  but  little,  and  never  migrate  when  not  con- 
strained.    Besides,   our   family  affections    are  very 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  445 

strong.  So  that  exile  has  always  been  regarded  as 
a  great  calamity  by  the  Italians.  Added  to  this,  we 
left  Rome  under  the  most  painful  circumstances.  It 
was  an  insolent  foreign  conqueror  who  deprived  us  of 
our  homes.  A  great  many  of  us  were  mutilated  or 
wounded,  and  the  greater  part  were  also  destitute, 
having  lost  their  property  or  employment.  Besides, 
reaction  was  then  prevailing  throughout  all  Europe, 
and  the  European  governmental  press  was  very  busy 
in  accumulating  every  kind  of  calumny  upon  the  con- 
quered and  oppressed.     It  is  an  ancient  style. 

Six  hundred  years  ago,  Dante,  alluding  to  his  exile 
from  Florence,  in  a  prophetical  manner  said :  "  The 
fault  will  be  thrown  upon  the  conquered  ones,  as 
usual.  Thou  shalt  quit  everything  that  is  dearest  to 
thee  in  the  world.  Thou  shalt  experience  how  salt  is 
the  taste  of  bread  eaten  at  the  expense  of  others ;  how 
hard  is  the  going  up  and  down  others'  stairs.  But 
what  shall  most  bow  thee  down,  is  the  worthless  and 
disgusting  company  with  whom  thy  lot  must  be  par- 
taken." These  words,  so  ancient,  are  still  entirely 
true. 

La  colpa  seguira  la  parte  offesa 
In  grido  come  suol  — 

Tu  lascerai  ogni  cosa  diletta 
Piu  caramente  — 

Tu  proverai  si  come  sa  di  sale 
Lo  pane  altrui  e  com'e  duro  calle 
Lo  scendere  e  salir  per  I'altrui  scale. 

E  quel  che  piu  ti  gravera  le  spalle 

Sara  la  compagnia  malvagia  e  scempia 
Con  la  qual  tu  cadrai  in  questa  valle. 

Dante,  Paradiso,  cant.  xvii. 

The  only  manner  in  which  we  could  make  our  escape 
during  the  limited  space  of  twenty-four  hours,  was  to 

38 


446  THE   r.OMAN   EXILE. 

go  to  Civitaveccliia,  and  embark  there ;  but  the  few 
barks  to  be  found  there  were  soon  over-filled,  and  no 
accommodations  could  be  procured  for  the  sick.  Mon- 
signor  Muzzarelli,  formerly  the  premier  of  the  pope, 
and  now  proscribed,  lost  his  sight  forever  during  his 
painful  passage  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  a  great 
many  of  his  fellow-sufferers  died. 

As  for  me,  I  found  myself  in  a  very  bad  condition. 
I  had  been  wounded  only  slightly ;  but  the  loss  of 
blood  had  injured  my  sight.  Besides,  my  brother 
Henry  and  my  uncle  were  lying  in  bed,  dreadfully 
wounded.  I  could  not  even  think  of  abandoning 
them  in  order  to  save  myself.  We  loved  each  other 
warmly,  and  besides,  affection  grows  stronger  among 
men  who  have  been  exposed  to  the  same  dangers  and 
helped  each  other  on  momentous  occasions.  So  that 
I  formed  a  plan  by  which  We  should  either  save  our- 
selves together  or  perish  together. 

I  procured  three  passports,  with  pretended  names 
and  qualifications ;  this  was  easy,  because  the  French 
had  not  yet  occupied  the  office  of  the  police.  I  dis- 
guised myself  as  a  common  driver,  darkening  my  com- 
plexion by  a  tincture  of  aloes.  I  put  my  brother  and 
my  uncle  in  a  covered  wagon,  arranged  in  the  manner 
of  a  comfortable  bed,  and  we  left  the  city,  taking  the 
road  to  the  north.  My  plan  was  to  reach  the  small 
republic  of  S.  Marino,  where  we  could  remain  a  few 
days,  in  order  to  restore  our  health  and  think  of  a 
more  safe  refuge.  The  distance  was  two  hundred  and 
twenty-six  miles,  and  my  travelling  with  two  sick 
companions  was  very  slow  and  painful.  At  length 
we  reached  our  destination  safely. 

My  parents  did  not  live  in  Rome  at  that  epoch  ; 
they  had  several  years  before  taken  their  abode  at  a 


THE  ROMAN  EXILE.  447 

country  seat  which  was  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
boundaries  of  the  republic  of  San  Marino.  I  was  not 
able  to  resist  the  temptation  to  go  and  take  leave  of 
my  mother.  I  went  there  after  dark,  on  horseback, 
and  I  thought  that  nobody  had  discovered  me.  Two 
hours  after  midnight  an  old  servant  rushed  into  my 
room,  frantically  exclaiming,  "  You  are  lost  I  the  house 
is  surrounded  by  soldiers  I "  I  coolly  ordered  him  to 
make  ready  my  horse,  and  take  it  into  the  garden.  I 
put  on  some  clothing  in  haste,  and  in  a  few  seconds  I 
was  on  horseback.  The  servant  opened  a  door  in  the 
wall  of  the  garden,  and  I  spurred  my  horse  through  it. 
Two  soldiers,  who  were  watching  there,  attempted  to 
stop  the  horse  by  the  bridle,  but  I,  anticipating  this, 
had  put  on  no  bridle.  They  twice  fired  their  shots  at 
me,  but  the  quickness  of  the  horse  and  the  darkness 
of  the  night  enabled  me  to  escape  unhurt.  It  was  in 
this  manner  that  I  took  leave  of  my  mother,  not  to 
see  her  again  on  earth.  The  shots  of  the  papal  sol- 
diers did  me  no  harm,  but  their  reports  fell  upon  the 
heart  of  my  poor  mother. 

I  went  back  to  San  Marino.  It  is  a  mountain  of  the 
Apennines,  only  six  miles  west  of  Rimini,  in  the  Ro- 
man State ;  this  mountain,  with  seven  thousand  inhab- 
itants, forms  a  republican,  independent  state.  It 
existed  before  the  republic  of  Venice,  and  still  exists, 
like  a  relic  of  the  former  Italian  liberty.  Neither 
Napoleon  nor  the  Congress  of  Vienna  thought  of 
destroying  that  miniature  republic ;  but  the  pope 
claims  to  be  its  "  protector,"  which,  in  a  diplomatic 
sense,  means  oppressor.  Those  poor  mountaineers 
hospitably  received  the  fugitive  Roman  citizens  who 
succeeded  in  reaching  their  small  territory ;  but,  after 
a  few  days,  the  consuls  of  the  republic  were  obliged 


448  THE   ROMAN  EXILE. 

to  inform  the  refugees  that  they  had  no  means  of  pro- 
tecting them  against  the  vengeance  of  the  pope,  who 
claimed  the  right  of  extradition. 

After  many  a  narrow  escape  I  reached  the  territory 
of  Piedmont,  governed  by  the  King  of  Sardinia.  He 
had  not  followed  the  example  of  the  pope,  and  of  all  the 
rulers  of  Italy,  who  broke  their  oaths  and  put  down 
the  political  constitutions ;  so  that  there  was  a  liberal 
government  in  Piedmont,  and  I  was  allowed  to  remain 
there.  I  had  many  friends  and  relatives  in  Piedmont. 
I  was  admitted  to  practise  my  profession  as  a  lawyer 
before  the  superior  tribunals,  and  the  University  of 
Turin  appointed  me  to  teach  law.  Consequently,  I 
established  myself  in  Turin,  and  my  business  there 
began  to  be  prosperous. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  1853,  a  revolutionary 
movement  against  the  Austrians  took  place  in  Milan ; 
but  this  movement,  through  many  reasons,  not  to  be 
explained  now,  remained  isolated;  it  was  therefore 
easily  suppressed  by  the  Austrians,  by  means  of  an 
extensive  and  indiscriminate  slaughter.  I  was  sus- 
pected of  having  taken  an  active  part  in  that  move- 
ment, together  with  many  other  refugees  living  in 
Piedmont.  There  were  no  proofs,  however,  and  no 
trial  was  made  against  us ;  but  we  were  despotically 
sent  into  exile,  the  limited  space  of  twenty-four  hours 
only  being  given  us  to  leave  the  State.  Besides,  our 
names  were  published  by  the  official  newspaper  of 
the  government,  together  with  the  declaration  that  we 
were  sent  into  exile  for  having  ill-used  the  hospitality 
formerly  extended  to  us.  This  precluded  to  us  the 
hospitality  of  other  monarchical  States  of  Europe. 

I  applied  for  a  passport  to  France,  but  was  refused 
by  the  French  ambassador.     The  Swiss  charg^  d^af- 


THE   ROMAN   EXILE.  449 

faires  at  Turin  signed  my  passport  good  for  a  simple 
passage  through  Switzerland,  and  warned  me  that  his 
government  would  not  allow  me  to  stop  there,  on 
account  of  the  difficult  position  in  which  they  were 
put  by  Austria,  who  blockaded  the  canton  Ticino  at 
that  epoch. 

I  crossed  the  Alps  in  that  winter  season,  and  during 
stormy  weather.  I  had  never  suffered  so  much  in  my 
past  life.  To  leave  Italy,  perhaps  forever,  and  under 
so  painful  circumstances,  was  for  me  a  blow  even 
more  bitter  than  my  first  exile  from  Rome ;  perhaps 
it  was  because  I  was  prepared  for  the  former,  and  my 
mind  was  still  fresh  and  full  of  excitement.  Besides, 
I  was  now  tormented  by  the  thought  of  my  poor 
mother,  —  she  had  already  suffered  8t>~much,  and  her 
health  had  been  greatly  impaired,  on  account  of  the 
many  misfortunes  which  fell  upon  our  family  and  our 
native  country.     How  would  she  bear  this  new  blow  ? 

In  order  to  spare  her  grief  as  much  as  possible,  I 
determined  not  to  leave  Europe.  I  furtively  pene- 
trated into  France,  and,  passing  through  Paris,  I  went 
to  Brussels,  in  Belgium.  Besides  the  artist  whom  I 
knew  in  Rome,  I  had  there  several  friends  who  for- 
merly graduated  with  me  at  the  University  of  Bologna. 
I  was  also  acquainted  with  many  influential  persons 
of  that  city;  so  that  I  was  favorably  received  in 
Brussels,  and  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness.  My 
friends  proposed  to  me  to  deliver  lectures  on  canon 
laws,  and  a  great  many  pupils  were  found  to  attend 
them.  But  this  lasted  only  a  few  months.  The 
Jesuits,  who  are  exceedingly  powerful  in  Belgium, 
prepared  a  secret  war  against  me,  chiefly  on  account 
of  my  teaching  canon  laws.  They  procured  letters 
38* 


450  THE  ROMAN  EXILE. 

against  me  from  the  governments  of  Austria,  Pied- 
mont, and  Rome. 

In  consequence  of  these  secret  intrigues,  one  day, 
when  quietly  preparing  a  lecture  in  my  private  room, 
I  received  the  unpleasant  visit  of  two  officers  of 
police,  who  took  me  to  Ostend,  and  there  put  me  on 
board  of  a  steamer  bound  to  London.  I  arrived  there 
without  knowing  a  word  of  English.  A  few  days 
after  I  was  feloniously  robbed  of  all  my  money.  Sev- 
eral other  misfortunes  came  to  embitter  my  condition 
in  London.  Besides,  the  weather  was  very  bad. 
During  forty  days  which  I  spent  there  I  never  saw 
the  sun,  except  on  one  day,  when  it  was  pointed  out 
to  me  by  a  friend  through  a  thick  fog. 

In  London  I  experienced  such  a  dreadful  physical 
and  mental  dejection  that  I  became  seriously  afraid  of 
losing  my  reason.  I  wrote  a  farewell  note  to  my 
poor  mother,  who  was  sick ;  and  embarked  in  an  emi- 
grant ship,  bound  to  New  York.  I  endured  thirty-five 
days  of  the  most  dreadful  mental  and  physical  suffering 
at  sea,  and  arrived  in  New  York  sick  and  destitute. 
But  on  touching  the  land  of  freedom  I  felt  my  health 
renewed  and  my  courage  refreshed.  America  looked 
to  me  much  like  a  home,  and  I  found  everywhere 
friends  and  benevolent  brothers.  O  Loed  !  bless 
America  ! 

THE     END. 


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